From ByronM - 15mm Sherman Tanks (30 Points)

I only had about 3 hours to paint today, so picked something FAST!  A platoon of Sherman tanks to add to my Canadian contingent for Chain of Command.  They are Plastic Soldier company and I built three as normal Sherman's and 2 as Fireflies.

Knowing I only had a few hours, enter the airbrush fast paint method! I had these primed black, then hit them with edge highlights in a light grey / tan mix. Then sprayed a few thin olive glaze coats, then edge hit them with a lighter tan in a glaze to just bring the edges out a bit lighter still.

That sat to dry for a while, then I touched up the tracks to dark grey, dry brushed them, then inked them.  Onto the few small details on the tank that that would not be the same colour as the main body, then a thin wash over the whole tanks.  Let dry again, then add weathering powder for dirt, and we are done.

I would love to add some decals, but need to find some and had only American ones here.  Maybe someday I will find some Canadian or British decals and add them in.

Quick and fast, but still OK to put on the table and not be embarrassed, and am on the board!

Great job Byron! I've never really learned to use an airbrush properly and whenever I have to do some vehicles I really wish I did. These really look fabulous for 3 hours of work - amazing really. I quite like the use of the airbrush to do glazes as it gives a very subtle effect. Nice!

 30 points for your place on the roster - well done.

From ByronM - Back to the Great War and My Painting Desk (95 Points)

Wow, it has been a while since my last post, other than the fortnight challenge pieces.  Sorry for the lack of output during the Challenge, work has been extremely busy and stressful, and its been hard to get motivated for more than the challenge pieces (which I have been having a lot of fun with).

Anyway, last year I started working on some Great War 28mm figures for both Canadian and German forces.  I finally got back on track and got 2 more rifle sections completed for the 10th Battalion force that I am working on.  Just 1 more section to go on them, hopefully to be done before the end of this Challenge.

Here they are, 2 sections each of 8 riflemen and a Big Man.  Also included is another command figure that I found sitting around for my 16th battalion, you can see him in the background with his glengarry hat.  The colours and uniforms are the same so I included him in this batch of painting, making a total of 19 models. 

Most of the figures are either Great War or Musketeer/Footsore, both of which are excellent quality, and almost exact matches for scale.

I haven't had time to create cards (or even research names for the officers) just yet, but will sometime soon so that they can be used in the Through the Mud and the Blood game.  These 19 figures should give me 95 points, and bring me a little closer to my goal, which I have been slacking on.

Also, since everyone has been showing off their painting areas, and asking others about them, I figured I would include mine here.

To try and keep everything organized, I initially made shelves for my paints, however over time I collected too many and they were 2-3 layers deep and I could never find anything.  So when I got the laser cutter last year, I decided to make some paint organizers that fit into the shelves and allowed me to see the paints and grab them easily.  Some are different sizes, as I was playing with the design a bit, but I just kept the test cuts anyway as I like the little space at the end of each row for other shaped bottles.

Also on the table is a pair of miniature stands I did up, to mount figures to instead of holding them by the base while painting them.  For years I have used dowel, but just rested them on the table, and a few times have had them fall over and chip figures.  Problem solved.

I also have a pair of oak drawer units that my dad made for me. They hold all my tools, decals, flocking, magnets, and more.  I even have two more tucked away in my miniature closet to keep other bits and pieces in that are not used that often.  They help keep everything organized and appeases my OCD.  He has even made a few for friends in the past.

And for Curt, who likes seeing whats coming up... This was taken while my Satan figure was in progress, as well as these Canadians.  However, if you look on the painting rack, there are a bunch of 28mm French Napoleonic figures in progress (although they haven't progressed much further).

Anyway, hope you all like the figures, and my painting space.


From Curt:

Wonderful stuff Byron! Those Great War Canadians look absolutely brilliant. Such clean lines and great shading - your typically excellent brushwork. I really look forward to seeing these fellows on the tabletop when I come out to visit next. 

Your painting desk is a thing of wonder as well. I have the same lights (Costco rocks) and can attest to their brilliance (literally). I also like your various organizational drawers and dowel holders. And I may have to get you to make me some of those paint dropper slot thingys - they're the absolute dog's dangles.