Battlefront StuG IV

About a year or so ago, I really started refining my painting technique. Originally I would prime with some kind of black, apply the basecoat of color, and then BOOM! Done. Naturally, as I got older and the internet became more of a present thing, I quickly realized what I thought as good was more of a half-assed kind of thing. I had to take a year off of painting and wargaming when I went away to my Freshman Year of college, as there really wasn't anywhere to do it when sharing a space the size of a Mexican prison cell with two other alpha-type personalities like myself. That, and I also didn't want any of my beautiful creations getting pawned off by my roommates for pot money. When I finally survived and moved out, I re-approached painting with a different set of eyes.

The first thing I really painted in my Post-Dormitory Life was a StuG IV Assault Gun from a Battlefront blister pack. I was never a big fan of buying the larger Platoon or Company arrangements, as I very often get overwhelmed when I can't plow through 90+ tiny, nail-mounted 15mm figures in a weekend. I mean, I could, but there wouldn't be much time for eating, sleeping, or the main staple of college life; partying. I can also control expenses and workload by buying small and building up, and with frequent commuting between Tucson and Phoenix, I also had to constantly consider the realities of transporting miniatures as well. I'm a good driver, I promise... but the trunk of my car tends to become a death trap for just about anything that goes inside!

So, the StuG IV itself was a bit of a departure, at least for the time when I painted it up. I hadn't really understood the concept of how to paint camouflage yet, so I used quite a lot of reference pictures to get things to look all right. I started initially with a base layer of Vallejo Middlestone over the whole thing, and then added a layer of Vallejo German Grey across the treads. Highlights were an edging of Vallejo Khaki across the raised bits, and then some quick swipes of Vallejo Neutral Grey across the tread links.

The camouflage itself was a rough adaptation to a scheme used by German Armored groups towards the end of the Second World War. Typically there should be some red-brown in there to help break up the Vallejo Brown Violet I used, but at the time I was just starting to upgrade my collection of paints from Citadel to higher quality Vallejo. It also helped to play into the narrative I was creating for this guy in particular, having been hastily pressed into service following the Normandy Breakout without adequate camo coverage.

One of the trickiest parts about this model though was the rough texture of the vehicle hull. I'm used to painting over smooth (or almost smooth) surfaces, but this one in particular was rutty and had ridges. In short, it was a paintbrush's worst nightmare but a drybrush's daydream. That, and it also made it a pain in the ass to wash, as all the liquid pigment liked to coalesce into the cracks... and NOT where I wanted it to go.

Despite the pains, it was still quite a fun model to paint up. It was challenging, but not so much so to the point where I got frustrated and resorted to polishing off a 12-pack of Bud to ease the pain. With one exception, I haven't really painted anything World War Two-era as of late, so I'd definitely like to go back and try this style again on a few more models.

And a quick update: Those Bradleys I promised are still coming. My favorite, solve-all Secret Weapon Sewer Water wash dried out on me... because your's truly left the cap off the dropper bottle and didn't realize until a week later. I guess there are some things college can't really teach you, so in the meantime I'm making due with what I've got available.

-Hands

M1A2 SEP "Mariah" Abrams

I like to paint. I like to paint a lot actually. The challenge of trying new styles is always fun, as well as mixing and matching colors and paint schemes until they come out right.. Not to mention sitting down with a couple beers and whatever hockey game NBCSN decides to air each night also makes for one relaxing time. Being in business school, any relaxation is welcomed.

So typically when I paint, I aim for highly realistic if somewhat abstracted paint jobs. I focus on muted colors and subtle highlights. I find that this makes each model or miniature look amazing and realistic without actually moving into the realm of cartoonish. While cartoonish styles with bright colors and high degrees of highlight/lowlight contrast are all well-and-good, my own fingers are terrible at getting the required effect. And it burns my eyes looking at bright colors anyways... I get enough of that watching PowerPoints on 1950's projectors.

Its funny I say this though, because the QRF M1A2 Abrams I recently painted up turned out fantastic, albeit I unintentionally painted it in the very high contrast style I just mentioned above. I kind of sat on the fence for a few days, questioning myself as to whether or not I liked it. I never once told myself I didn't, although in some alcohol-induced soliloquies, I'm pretty sure my other half subconsciously disagreed.

I digress though. The model itself came with quite a bit of flash and imperfections I had to chip away with a straight edge or sandpaper, and while I feel I did a decent job evening things out, parts of the end model are still a bit... uh... funky? You'll notice what I mean in the pictures. Granted, I'm used to working with near spot-on perfection when it comes to the clean models Battlefront, Warlord, or Citadel (not so much anymore) produce, so perhaps I'm spoiled. Despite this, I feel things came out pretty decent.

This M1A2 SEP was meant as a gift for the husband of a very dear friend of mine, whose name may or may not be "Mariah." He's about to be deployed as a mechanic with the very same tank (the real version, mind you) pictured above, so I figured what better good luck charm than to shrink down his beast and put his wife's (or not) name on it. "That's so sweet!!" I know, you don't have to tell me that.

The build itself took about a day, considering that the water I used to pre-pre prime the model was particularly hard for some reason. I ended up having to pour Drano all over the metal to get the salt spots off, but after that painting it up was a breeze. Basecoat was Vallejo German Camo Brown and the Highlight was an edged Vallejo Iraqi Sand. Treads were Vallejo German Grey with a pretty heavy-handed drybrush of Vallejo Neutral Gray. The name was done freehand, very patiently and completely sober too!

A couple more profile pictures to show off some other angles:

So there you have it everybody! The M1A2 SEP "Mariah" Abrams. 

Up next is a small task force of contemporary US Army vehicles, namely QRF Bradleys and QRF M738 Combat Engineering Vehicles I'm painting up for another friend as part of a model trade. They'll be in this similar style, although with a very radical Desert MARPAT-style digital camo. Not something I'm used to painting large-scale on vehicles.

Stay tuned!

-Hands

Introductions!

I'm really new to all of this blogging and stuff. Usually, when I do decide to share my thoughts, they're in person with friends. Its not so much a comfort issue as it is the fact I greatly enjoy feedback, both verbal and visual. To help me work out the kinks, and get an understanding of how the blog software works and all that, I think it'd be cool to write myself up a nice introduction blog post... We'll see how it goes.

Ten things about me... kind of an interesting concept. I'm more of a long-winded, write until my fingers fly off kind of guy, but I think for your viewing pleasuring I'll keep things short and sweet.

10 THINGS:

10: I am currently a Business Management major at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.

9: I grew up in Northern Phoenix, which is also where I've lived the longest.

8: I absolutely love history of any sort. My favorite eras though revolve around mostly modern history, predominately centered in the latter half of the 19th Century up to the present.

7: I've always been interested in military history, as well as strategy and tactics. My earliest ever memory of what could amount to Wargaming was when I was a small child and delegated out "squads" of Micro Machines to my friends for battle.

6: I really didn't start consistently painting miniatures until I was in High School. I built plenty of plastic models as a child, but always found the painting aspect intimidating. That, and I also lacked some serious motor skills.

5: I've grew up playing ice hockey, which is incredibly ironic considering I live in Arizona. Now that I'm older and I don't have the money for ice time, I've migrated to roller and street hockey which I play typically on a weekly basis

4. Before anyone asks, my favorite hockey team is the Chicago Blackhawks. I like the Coyotes, but that's mostly because without them I'd never see the Hawks play.

3. The first ever thing I painted were three Warhammer 40k T'au Stealthsuits. I'll admit they look terrible compared to my technique nowadays, but I've never thought about repainting them. Maybe there's something sacrosanct about that jumping-off point which maroons you knee deep in a hobby?

2. As a young child, my interests revolved almost solely around World War Two. As I've grown older, they have shifted to more contemporary times focusing on the late Cold War and modern/near future conflicts throughout the world.

1. I'm fascinated with What-if and Alternate History scenarios, especially if they come with them a unique storyline and chain of events that make each scenario both believable and thought-provoking.

Now that we're all on first-name bases, I'll move ahead and start with the real guts and bacon of this blog! Pictures of many of my paint jobs will follow, as well as battle reports if I find players to join me.

-Hands