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Saturday, June 13, 2015

State of the Painting Desk

After more than a fortnight away scrambling around the Peruvian Highlands, I return to the painting desk.  In my absence, the painting desk lay fallow and the gaming table quiet.  With much activity on the home/work front following my return, I was unable to get in even one short painting session in this week.  Hopefully, I can make some time for a painting session or two this weekend after wrestling the yard back into shape following two weeks' neglect.

 What is on the painting desk this morning?
State of the Painting Desk
Well, in the background are three battalions' worth (36 figures) of French Line infantry for the 15mm Risorgimento project.  After fielding a few French battalions of Freikorps, When the Navy Walked, and Lancashire Games, I turn to the large pile of unpainted Old Glory French.  The Old Glory figures are much more dynamically posed than the others and offer an interesting contrast.  Sculpting is quite good but many of the bits are molded fragilely.  Already, one officer's handgun has been lost.  I am interested to see how these figures fit with the three manufacturers mentioned earlier.  My Old Glory Austrians and Sardinians are very handsome and I see no reason why these French should not be as well.

 In the foreground is a sample of five offerings from Zvezda in their 1/100th (15mm) line of plastic WWII vehicles.  The pieces snap together with only a bit of glue and the results are good.  The few other vehicles on hand for this project are molded in metal.  Once painted, I will make a comparison.  An assortment of fifteen such kits were picked up about a month or two ago when they were offered on discount.  
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12 comments:

  1. Der Alte FritzJune 13, 2015 at 7:28 AM

    I should have a word with your elves if I were you. It seems that they didn't paint any of your figures while you were away. :)

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJune 13, 2015 at 9:51 AM

      No, they did not! Perhaps the elves were uninspired by the 15mm Old Glory lead? Next time, I will leave some primed Minden's laying about and see what happens.

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  2. GonsalvoJune 13, 2015 at 8:11 AM

    A nice variety of projects in the works - just need some Incas and Conquistadores!

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJune 13, 2015 at 10:02 AM

      Peter, I had forgotten exactly what was in work on the painting desk. Incas and Conquistadors? That is just what I need, another project! Actually, I have been encouraged into fielding a small force for another small project to add onto the pile of existing projects.

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  3. Black PowderJune 13, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    I'm going to second Gonsalvo's comment on the Incas - but your choice on WW2 in 15mm can only be applauded. That Zvezda SdKfz looks crisp, a lot crisper than the flash prone metal version I tried out. How did you find working on the kit, did the parts fit easily or was there any work on getting them to join without gaps? (I've seen this mentioned on other blogs)

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJune 13, 2015 at 8:01 PM

      All of the Zvezda models snapped together with minimal fuss. The models are crisply molded. Some models did produce gaps but that may simply be a byproduct of my assembly technique. I built one of each model to see how the pieces fit together. I may be able to make tolerance improvements with additional models.

      I like the but a better test will be to see how they look once painted.

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  4. Christopher(aka Axebreaker)June 13, 2015 at 4:15 PM

    Hmm I've yet to try the 15mm Zvezda WWII kits. I may need to try a few out.

    Christopher

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJune 13, 2015 at 8:02 PM

      Christopher, the Zvezda models I have are both inexpensive and easy to assemble. Give a few a try!

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  5. PaulalbaJune 15, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    Other zvezda kits are so cute and detail Jonathan, I've looked at them a number of times at shows now but can't start another scale at the moment. Look forward to seeing them and your French finished!

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJune 15, 2015 at 8:14 PM

      Thanks for the comments, Paul!
      The French will make it off the painting desk soon but the 15mm armor may take some time as other items are demanding attention with the brush.

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  6. DeanMJune 16, 2015 at 6:24 AM

    Inspiring work bench shot, Jonathan. I see you use craft store paints too - I used some for the recent peasants I painted. They're great for mass-production :) Best, Dean

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJune 16, 2015 at 6:35 AM

      Gaming buddy and painting whiz Scott MacPhee encouraged me to give Ceramcoat paints a try years ago and I haven't looked back. For me, the craft paints produce good results at minimal cost and fuss. Another benefit, they are readily available. Sometimes, I think the pigment is a little too course but most paints seem just right.

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