Sand and Stone

It is only now that I am able to step back from Operation Sting and think about how much I was able to complete for that event!  I really enjoyed making the display board, which was featured in a number of step by step articles... https://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/11/monte-cassino-part-4-more-rubble.html

The army was really unusual for me, since most of what I have been painting all these years has been for early war!  Some of these weapons seemed like space age tech at one point :-)  Of course, I especially enjoyed the basing on the army, and matching that terrain board... https://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/11/amidst-rubble.html

I suppose that I was able to get in some practice on sandy Mediterranean colors for my upcoming DAK, Italian and British desert forces.  Those have also been under way for a while in terms of prepping, basing, etc.

When I researched what I should do for the uniforms, the variety of what I found gave me an opportunity to make each figure more unique.  This really helped when it came to playing in the tournament, because I never had any opportunity to play test the army before the event!

I wasn't able to do everything that I wanted to on the army due to time constraints, but as I tell folks all the time in my instructional videos, there is nothing that says I can't go back and add more details!

I also have to start making additional terrain pieces so that my display board can become the centerpiece for an entire Monte Cassino table.  The idea is to make more modular mountain style sections which could be used for several theatres, such as the Caucasus, etc.

It all worked out in the end, and I was very glad to receive the Best Axis Appearance award!

https://wappellious.blogspot.com/2018/12/final-report-operation-sting-2018.html

Up and at 'em!!

I have been waiting for a while to utilize my Rubicon Sdk 250 Alt transports, and the Monte Cassino army seemed to be a perfect time!

The idea was to have a force that seemed to be somewhat cobbled together and ad hoc, taking advantage of the bombardment of the monastery. 

This was painted entirely with brushes, as I didn't have the time to do the usual airbrush techniques.  It also had to be acrylics so that it would be dry in time!  That meant I put my Secret Weapon paints to good use.

Another reason I had such dramatic differences in transport types and camo patterns was to be able to tell one unit from another!  As you recall, there was no playtesting of this army whatsoever before the event.  I had no idea if I was even going to have units to match order dice the night before dice were gonna roll!

I tried to take advantage of the fact that by this stage of the war, may different uniforms were being warn, and this gave me a chance to secretly "color code" units.  The side benefits were that I had more fun painting that variety, and they looked more interesting.

I have done a number of painting videos on Bolt Action infantry and vehicles.  Here's an example of one of my Patreon videos, from the "Army Painter" series two.  In this set of 5 videos, I tackled every phase of basing and painting my Winter Soviets.  

Each video is about 2 to 2.5 hours long, and it really covers the process and planning involved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsU7M9EIFnc

I will be making more Army Painter series, especially on my upcoming Desert Armies!  I have Italians, DAK, British 8th, Free French, and even Vichy.

Here's a link to the Patreon Page.  The Army Painter level is $15, and it will give you access to all previous series, along with other single episodes covering other effects:

www.patreon.com/JamesWappel

Travel in Style!

It is time to start showing you the army that went with the Operation Sting Monte Cassino display board.  It was a big challenge to tackle this army, as it was so different from the Early War periods.  The equipment, the uniforms, and the vehicles.

I tried to make things seem a bit more Ad Hoc, and cobbled together from various sources.  This is why each vehicle is a different camo scheme.

I tried to make this seem less like a "stock" kit as well by sculpting stowage, and converting a standard infantry figure to be the gunner.

I did not use an airbrush to paint any of the camo patterns, and each was done the "old fashioned" way with my hairy sticks!  I used Secret Weapon weathering paints and the Reaper liner paints to create all the shading and weathering effects.

Here's a peek at the interior.  Hopefully I will get a chance to do some video tutorials on new vehicles as I expand the army.  I have a number of video tutorials on my Facebook page, as well as on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce_sOQ2KCUQ

This view shows you the sandbags that I created, using some apoxy sculpt.  Again, the effects all had to be applied rapidly and dry quickly, as the tournament was fast approaching.

I also have some historical painting guides on my Patreon Page now, including an entire 11 hour series on my Winter Soviets, using oil paints.  Check that out here:

www.patreon.com/JamesWappel