Wow, I haven't worked on this since 2009?!

I just picked up an interior detail kit from Black Dog studios out of the Czech Republic for the M1126 ICV kit from AFV Club for my AFV Club 1:35th Scale TACP Stryker

Obviously, some modification is necessary (if you look at the 2005 Air Force news article I linked in that earlier post) to make it work for a CV/TACP variant, but it is manageable.   Besides, there are so many ways to fix things that might not fit just right...  We had so much crap in those vehicles, it wasn't funny...  Such is mechanized warfare, why pack light when you stick ammo cans full of ammo in every crevice not filled with MRE's, AT-4 rockets, a set of cots, or someones assault pack?!

Speaking of MREs, I think Black Dog Studios is the first aftermarket kit, or mass produced kit for that matter, with a modern US forces in Iraq or Afghanistan NOT to have a set of MRE's in the kit...  Amazing! I never realized there were so many MREs just laying about...

The Workbench, picking up where I left off 7 years ago.

Test fitting the Drivers Compartment with poster putty (blue tac)

24AUG16 Still kicking...

It has been way too long since my last update about those miniature bases I 3d printed out of black ABS plastic.  Since then, I got to priming and painting them!  Just some ultra-flat Krylon camo tan as my primer, and then the usual Delta Ceramacoat (i.e. cheap craft store paint) mixed with a secret ingredient I found over at Tiny Solitary Soldiers 15mm blog, dry used coffee grounds.  Yup, take your coffee grinds from the filter (or in my case French press) and let them dry out, mix them into your base coat paint (burnt umber in this case) and then you have a nice large aggregate for your miniature bases instead of compost!  I liked the effect.

Got some of my Khurasan Miniatures Soviets, GOTA Clan, BMP-1, and Super Heavy tank along with some Battlefront Team Yankee Soviets on the bases in this picture just to give you a sample.  My Khurasan Soviets have the usual Woodland Scenic's model railroad ballast glued to a black primed base.  I'm not liking how that falls off.  When they shed, I'll go ahead and repaint them with the mix of coffee grounds and acrylic!  I might still use a bit of the ballast for variety, they are ground walnut shell after all (perhaps another use for my walnut shell brass tumbler media in the future).

At any rate, here are the rest of the ABS printed plastic bases for penny mounted figures.  In the background you might catch the Battlefront miniatures bases I used to size mine to.  This will help me use my mix of penny based Soviets (and other miniatures) for games requiring multi-figure bases, while not requiring me to re-base all my miniatures.  Want some of your own bases to print?  Well here is my Father's Day post where you can find the Thingiverse link to my page and download them!

19JUN16 Father's Day and a 3D Game Changer

Happy Father's Day gentlemen!

Hopefully your days featured at least one good board or wargame with the kids!  Mine was Star Wars Clone Wars edition Risk with my eldest.  A few months back, we played Star Wars FUBAR.  He's getting into games.  Obviously, he enjoys the miniatures and terrain more than the games...  But hey, he's 10.  I really have to watch out for my middle son though, he's a shark at Pente and Battleship...

Last post I mentioned making 3D printed bases for my 15mm miniatures.  I'm proud to state I carried out that decision and published my first Thing on Thingiverse.  In order to use my penny based 15mm infantry in Flames of Wars based games, I developed a quick and dirty 3mm x 50mm x 65mm Penny base tray for 15mm wargames (yup, its a long, but unique title) using Design Spark Mechanical from Allied Electronics and Space Claim.  I highly recommend this free program for aspiring mechanical designers and those experimenting with 3D printing at home.  It is an easy parametric modeler to use, especially if you have SketchUp experience.  I did not align the holes or anything, so for those who are type A about how lined up their troops on a base are, these will drive you nuts.  Fine, go download the native file format on Thingiverse and fix it.  In fact, I made these bases public domain, use and abuse.  All I ask is that you paint them up real nice and take pictures with your miniatures on them and post them were I can find them!

15mm trays for 6 miniatures.

I also indulged in building some bases for one of my favorite Games Workshop rule sets, their Lord of the Rings based War of the Ring.  Sadly, this game is no longer published by GW, but hey, I enjoyed the rules set offering and the miniatures are top notch.  Too bad GW has massive cranial rectal inversion disorder at the moment.  Anyway, for anyone who has the miniatures, or ones similar that need such bases, here you go:  WotR Infantry & Cavalry Company Bases.  With the WotR bases, I used Solidworks and lined everything up pretty square.  I also left the SLDPT files there for editing.  Use, abuse, have fun.  Just post pictures and let me know!

WotR Infantry and Cavalry Company Bases 

No, my rant about game changing technology...  3D printers are awesome for gamers.  I think miniature gamers especially should own them.  You can just about print your army these days if you have the right model files.  If you are a 3D CAD guy who can sculpt digitally, your print resolution and the sky are the only limits.  My FDM Lulzbot Taz 5 printer only lets me get down to about .1mm (100 micron) resolution, and has thus far been unsuited to small figures.  However, vehicles, bases, and other game terrain are not limited.  Hopefully I can get some more stuff out there.  

12JUN16 Team Yankee Soviet Afgantsy Weapons

I am adding to my 15mm Soviet equipped force, this time infantry heavy weapons using Battlefront Miniatures Team Yankee miniatures this time.  I picked up some Afgantsy Weapons teams for $24 (US) at my local game shop, Dragons Lair Comics.

This weapons team gets me 9 AGS-17 (30mm automatic grenade launcher, similar to the US MK. 19 40mm launcher), and 9 AT-4 anti-tank missile launchers, along with associated assistant gunners and the like.

Compared to my Khurasan Soviet motorized infantry, the details are very similar, and the figures about the same height.  I don't think there will be too much difference painted up.  I'll likely mount them on pennies like the Khurasan miniatures, and then start building bases that will allow me to mount them for Team Yankee/Flames of War play.  What, a 3D printing project?  Sure, why not.  Perfect use for that machine.  What a shame...  I have to design something cool for my miniatures.

Cons of the Battlefront miniatures largely lie in the amount cleanup required.  Mold lines and sprue exist everywhere on these, such are the requirements of casting with soft metals!  Bent barrels and other features don't bother me in the least, after all 1:100 scale AK's and antennas will bend no matter what you do to protect the models!  I'm pleased with the level of detail.

15mm T-55 project

So, as I am about to embark upon making some Battlefront Miniatures Flames of War Arab-Israeli war T-55's...  a thought occurred to me.  Why not make them upgraded T-55AMV's of my fictional Red Equipped Nation (Upper or Lower Slobobia until I come up with a better name, as the US Army already uses Krasnovia at NTC for the fictitious name of the OPFOR).  A quick Internet search for images led me to this gem in 1:35



The Modelling News: In-Boxed: Takom's 35th scale T-55 AMV Russian Medium Tank



Wow, I'm almost ready to plunk down the money and get it in 1:35 as well.  It is an awesome kit!



In the mean time, I have Stackpole Books "Cold War Armored Fighting Vehicles" handy and have reduced the 1:72nd Scale drawing of the T-55AM down 72% to create a 1:100/15mm scale drawing of the tank for my project.  Check out the scale down guide from Fine Scale Modeler for other scale options.