Projects, and Painting, and MARPAT, Oh my!!!

Okay I have finally gotten up off of my duff and updated this site. The last post about me not having pics was just getting to me. (Makes mental note: Get a new and better digital camera as the flash to this one sucks)...

This morning I took the liberty of sitting down to my painting/work table and cleaning it off...and then putting SOME of my many projects back upon it to just kind of get a "perspective" of how much I really REALLY need to get finished...
And then I started crying...

As you can see by the pic, I got A LOT to do...

The desktop, with oodles and oodles of 15's waiting patiently, (in various stages), to be painted, or finished being painted. Off to the right are my 28's (Mostly Pulp Figs, but my ladys Quactica Orcs have snuck in there primed grey and are now waiting to be painted)... And you can see the bashed trawler that I am working on...among other things...
First off, the trawler...
I don't have a name for her yet, but it'll definately have a "French" ring to it...
The boat itself is a little ornamental knick-knack sailboat that I picked up from Hobby Lobby, and basically dissected. The only part left is the hull. I took out everything, built up the deck, built the structure, etc...I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to go with a mast so it can have that "fishing trawler" look, or keep the deck relatively clear to allow figs (or more figs) to be placed there.

I've enclosed a pic of a 15mm PP Vietnam Sniper Team on the deck for scale ideas, and comparions.

Once I go ahead and get the boat finished, I will put a comparison pic of the sailboat up and the trawler for your observations and opinions.
The next up, my truck conversion and painting...
From my last major posting, readers might rememebr that I took one of my fuel tanker trucks and made a flatbed out of it...

Well here it is in it's "new" Bongolesian paint job...

A little weathering, a little more detail and she'll be done, and ready for whatever dirty work she finds in Bongolesia....
And speaking of trucks...

No, it didn't hit a cotton candy factory...this is the gooey mold residue from a failed attempt at learning how to make a mold using Alumilite HSIII mold making compound (The pink stuff).
It was supposed to have a cure time of 24 hours - 3 days....
Well, two weeks later it was still a pink "goo"...
When it finally dried, there was no mold, just a semi gooey mess that I had to cut away from the truck. EPIC FAIL!
Not sure if I got a bad batch of compound or not. I am going to try again with another vehicle (truck), and see if it works. (NO, I don't NOT plan to pirate these vehicles! I am using them to learn HOW to make molds...)
*Sigh*...Many times I look at my paint desk at all the figures and wonder, "How did I get all of these?" and "When will I ever be able to finish them?"
I see the numbers of figs and sometimes I want to cry...

Rows of figures in various stages of painting, waiting to be finished...waiting, and waiting...

And waiting, and waiting...troops, mortars, civilians, rebels, ....waiting...

All waiting for the day to be done and on the table...so many....it seems an impossible task....
But I shall plod on!
Now...my latest issue...MARPAT!
Just when I get 15mm scale BDU's down the US Military decides to change Uniforms on me. The Army goes to ACU's, (which took a while but I got it), and the Marines went off the deep end with this abomination called MARPAT.
So I decided I didn't want the desert MARPAT, I wanted the woodland MARPAT...
Should be easy right? I mean, Brown, Green, and a little tan?
ha ha...yeah right.
My test subjects are 15mm Peter Pig Modern Marines/US Infantry M249 Saw Gun Teams, and Heavy Weapons Crews.
After reading, reading, and reading some more, I felt as if my eyes were going to drop out on color coordination. A friend sent me an email with a link from a guy that had done "Fleck" pattern on his figs. (Unfortunately they were 28mm and Modern German so the colors were different, but I decided to try the same pattern and see how they came out...)
And they came out...kinda German looking...

Test Subjects #1: Saw Gunner and Asst: Notice that there seems to be more green and black visible than actual in the USMC MARPAT, (which seems to be more Brown and Green based)...Great, my SAW team just joined The Bundeswehr...

A side shot of Test Subjects #1...while feeling that the pattern is kinda right, the colors are horribly wrong...
Okay back to the drawing board.
Test Subjects 2 and 3 are Peter Pig USMC Heavy Weapons Crews:
Subjects #2 are painted in the Military Sage Green color for a base, while Subjects #3 are painted in German Pale Brown as a base, (yes...there's that German thing again, but it's the only brown color paint that I can find that is even close to matching USMC MARPAT brown)

Lab rats...errr...I mean test subjects #2 and 3...

While here, I decided to paint another SAW Team with a base coat of the Pale Brown...and we will see how they do against Test Team #1...
And for this I will keep you advised of my progress, observations, and opinions on USMC MARPAT.
Right now my biggest issue is that with 15mm it's practially impossible to get the paint scheme right due to the fact of the size of the figure, plus with US troops they are covered in STUFF, (ie "gear"), and the most you will see is helmet, some arm sleeves and legs...not really enough, but enough that it has to be there...grrr...
Now onto other things...
15mm just isn't my only obsession...
Here are some pics of my 28mm Pulp figs that I have been working on lately also...
First off..."The Crimson Cult"...

Led by the mysterious "Crimson Leader", he and his evil minions are always on the wrong side of the law...

More figs...the first two from the left are from the West Wind Gothic Horror Line (The Innkeeper: Herr Braunschweiger, and his lovely adopted daughter Katrina Von Teeze), followed by more Pulp Figs, Doktorr Von Glock, and "The Skull"...(all in various stages of painting)...
And last but not least....another project...paitiently waiting completion...
Yes Virginia...those ARE T-80's in the box...
Seems that the Russians are interested in sending "Peacekeepers" to Bongolesia...
More on this as it happens!!!
As always...comments are appreciated...

Overdue update again!

Dang...it's the third week of October and I am waaaay far behind.
Okay no pics yet. I will be working on them this week. As the Armor is finished, and I have to touch up the ZSU23-4 and a T-55 because the f***ing Armory's Sealer left a nice residue on them...grrr...

But I am working on USMC MARPAT again, and I am hoping that this time..THIS TIME, I am successful...

Of Gencon, unemployment, and needing to paint...

August is pretty much done, and with it, goes the summer...
Gencon came and went, and the lady and I spent a day at the con just in the dealer room.
While there I cleaned up on Starship Trooper stuff, and bought some more figs, including some Pulp Figs of Bob Murchs' from RLBPS, (and sometimes dealing with Bob reminds me of the thing called "customer service").
Other than that I haven't really done that much.
I've re-read "Achtung Schweinhund!" (again), and looked over the new WI mags...
And now that my job is played out, I think I will have much MUCH more time to paint and build...
*sigh*
And pics to come...

Hard Armor and Low Rent Housing...

(Aka, what's on my worktable this week...)

Well I've gotten photos of some of my recent projects and thought I would share them with you.

This week I am working on exclusively armor. A nice order to Scale Creep, brought me 6 T-55's, 3 T-62's, 1 ZSU-23-4 and a ZSU-57-2.

This is the last of the major "Hard Armor" purchases for Bongolesia.

The T-55's and ZSU-57-2 are allocated to form the new tank units of the NDF, while the T-62's and the ZSU-23-4 are allocated to the Presidential Guard, and the Shilka pulls double duty as tactical ADA around Sudekia in the event of an airstrike AND is used as a possible riot deterrent / crowd control device

I'm going to admit that I have a love/hate affair with QRF minis. The love part is that they make some great stuff that no one else does and it closes the gap of stuff that is needed for modern 15mm gaming; but the bad part is that oftentimes you get a mini that is very flash heavy, and has a little bag of "fiddly bits", that you are not sure where they go, and because QRF doesn't include instructions or diagrams to show you where they go.

This was the problem with the ZSU 23-4. I finally figured it out with some illustrations, but it's a common gripe that I hear.

On the worktable, 6 T-55's and 3 t-62's...A ZSUs 23-4 and 57-2. Primed and ready for assembly and painting...To be done this week....(fingers crossed)....

A close up of the T-62's and the Shilka...The T-62's are a nice kit. Less flash than the T-55 and just seem to be of a higher quality casting. Perhaps the T-55 molds are wearing out some? A thought for an email to QRF this evening....

Meanwhile not all vehicle work is military or has a big gun and goes BOOM!.

I took one of the 69 Cent tanker trucks that I got a year ago, and took off the fuel tank. Putting a flat bed on it, I'm going to make it a heavy cargo truck...will it carry goods, troops, weapons, or black market items?...Stay tuned to find out...

Here's a comparision shot of the modified truck. Dremel made this soooooooooo much easier...

The flatbed awaiting further work...

For 69 cents you CAN'T go wrong with these little sweeties...

Even Bongolesias need housing and unfortunately some of them DON'T qualify for what is termed "public housing" there in Bongolesia, so the really poor and down on their lucks, create small shanty towns or "Slummie-villes" to live in. I've already got a few of these done, (and featured on the Bongolesia blog), but here are some more in "rough fashion...

As the week wears on, I'll post pics and reports of them as they get finished, painted, and weathered to look like the rest of the slummies that I have...Just remember...In these places, the ten second rule DOES NOT APPLY...ewwww....

A side shot of slum shanty project #2

Front and side shots of slummy shanty #1. One can almost hear the constant buzzing of the numerous fat flies as they swarm around you in the sultry, sweaty, sticky, heat...

Stay tuned for further updates!

Redoing the game room...

Well this weekend was stormy, and I had to put mini painting on hold to do something that I had put off for a while...clean the gaming/work room.
I hadn't made efficient use of the space in that room, and now it was coming back to haunt me.
So with a recent 20 buck purchase of a 5 shelf bookshelf, and having recently acquired another dresser and 2 nightstands, I decided that "now was the time".
A little sweat and some reorganization later and voila, the "new and improved, Murphy Game Room."
Martha Stewart would be proud...


Looking in from the door, you can see the painting and work table, (Clean at that!!!),



2 dressers with plenty (I hope), of storage space. dresser #1 on the left is for holding building supplies, resins, etc., while dresser #2 is basically the home base for all unpainted figures, (and yes there are A LOT of them!)...



Another shot of dresser # 2 and the parts storage bins and painting table...


Drawer #1 of Dresser 2, Ogrethulu, Peter Pig, Bolt Action, Pulp Figures, Gear Krieg and more...


Drawer #2; Peter Pig, Battle Honors, QRF, and loose figs...


Drawer #3; More loose figs, (mostly 15mm)...


Drawer 4; More loose figs, (mostly 25-28mm)...

WHEW! That's A LOT of lead!!!
Here's a shot of the room from the dresser corner...

You can see the painting and accessory table, along with the closet full of "stuff"; boxes of terrain, ERTL cowtowns, etc...

My "wall o' stuff" including a certificate from the International Society of Vampires, an RPGA membership certificate, pictures of Adam West and Linda Blair, and a copy of Fiddlers Green...

Yes, Adam West as The Caped Crusader, keeping order to the room, and giving it just that bit of "class" that it needs...(or not)...

And once again, my picture of Linda Blair, who looks at us with those eyes and whispers to us seductively that "Historical Miniature Wargamers REALLY turn her on..."

*sigh*

Yeah, right...

My gaming shelves, with rules, boxes of troops, and other stuff on it. If you look at the top you can see the mostly finished Sovie...errr..Russian Cargo Ship, "The Rattlehead", and the Golden Eagle of the Bongolesian Arch of Victory peeking out...

Rules and books...Foundry was having a sale and I scored...Old copies of MWAN, Little Wars by Wells, Rule books, notebooks, and various assorted stuff, (including Ospreys, etc...)...

And last but not least...What's MY game room without this...????

Yes, the National Flag of Bongolesia hangs majestically on the wall of the room, waiting once again to go up the pole and fly in the breeze!

Well, hope you enjoyed the tour. Hopefully tomorrow, (or next week), I'll get some more painting done...

Comments are appreciated...

Hostages, Scale Creep, (and another trip)...

Welcome back dear reader with another exciting update!
(More or less)...

First things first...
ALL Praise to Scale Creep Miniatures for getting me my recent QRF shipment.
QRF was about a month behind in getting it to them, but I was able to get what I needed.
The NDF for Bongolesia currently has ALL the hard armor they will ever need...
Along with a section of tanks for The Presidential Guard.
Thanks to Scale Creep once again...
Now...
Recently I was able to get figs painted and what I wanted and needed were people in a crisis in Africa, (who isn't on that continent?)...Anyway, I decided to finish painting up the last of my Rebel Minis Hostages, along with some more BARF troopers and a couple of stands of LOA: "The Lions of Allah"..the latest group to bust onto the scene...
The Rebel Minis Hostages in size are about 15mm, if you compare them to Peter Pigs figs. They do look a little taller. In fact the zombie figs look to be about 18 and possible 20mm...
But they are clean figs with no flash, and very easy to paint.
Here they are...

( Hmmm...three hostages waiting on word of their release...or....)

(The set of hostages; there are three poses in all. Wait...Is that a shallow grave next to the kneeling female? Oh dear...)
(Three "businessmen" hostages close up. Notice the guy in the back with the toupee. OBVIOUSLY he's a CIA agent, or a used car salesman...)

Along with the hostages, here are some recently painted PP figs...BARF Militia troops...

(Is that a SMILEY face I see???)
(Some call them "Liberators", "Freedom Fighters", and "Revolutionaries"; while others call them "Thugs", "Bandits", and "Terrorists"...we simply call them "BARF"...)
(LOA: The Lions of Allah, Assault Troops...also calling themselves "Martyrs")


(LOA RPG Team...)

( A standard scene of hostages and keepers in front of vandalized B'wonah propaganda)...

I'm going to be reviewing the Rebel Minis Hostages figures in a soon to be posted update here on the forum...Stay tuned for it.

And now...

Indiana has a lot of things to see and do, and this weekend, the lady and I wandered down to Corydon.

Corydon, Indiana has two distinctions in State and US national history.

It was the first capitol of the state, and it's one of the ONLY TWO recognized Civil War Battles that took place on "Northern Soil"...

Corydon was the site where Gen. John Hunt Morgan in July of 1863 routed the home guard on his ride through the north. Not a big fight like Gettysburg, but a fight nonetheless, and we wandered down there the weekend that they had the reenactment.

(The Corydon State Courtbouse Capitol Building which was threatened to be burned by Morgan if the folks didn't "pay up" and the marker on the square...)

The Reenactment (as far as reenactments go), was a small affair that desperately needs help, and I think I am going to work to help push it to make it grow. The organizers are totally out of their league on running this.

And it has promise.

In the town is the Corydon Battle Park, which is actually on the site of the battle, which really is little more than a small park. I've seen some backyards that were bigger...but it's there, and it's part of our history and heritage...

(The Lady at the 6 lb gun at the Corydon Battle Park...)

After Corydon, we wandered down to Mauckport and it was going there that we saw graffitti that made me scream "STOP!"...and a photo I had taken of it and me...heheh...
See if anyone gets the reference...

(Quite appropriate, don't you think???)

And thus ended our little journey for the weekend...
Next weekend...A review of Rebel Minis Hostage figures and priming up the Presidential Guard!!!