"It's a Trap...!"

 As Admiral Akbar so pithily noted, sometimes things that look great on the surface are hiding unforeseen hazards. 

As I become more familiar and comfortable with 3d printing, simple things like cleaning the plate, the print, hollowing the model, adding drain holes, setting supports and levelling are easier and easier. So I have reached a point, where I almost feel guilty if the printer isn't running. Well, that's no problem really, I have lots of STL (3d Object) files. What could be easier than slicing those, copying them on to the USB stick and cranking up the printer? And there's the trap.

There are Two jeeps in this picture...

Confession time. I already have a ton of vehicles for Chain of Command. As the game is primarily a platoon vs platoon, vehicles are usually just support options. You might get a couple of Shermans or a couple of Marders in a scenario, but most of the time, the tanks and armoured vehicles are just a support act. Sure, it's nice to have a UNIC whatever for 21st Panzer Division when I'm playing a Normandy scenario, or a Sherman Flamethrower. But I reckon I must have easily a hundred or more 28mm (1/56) vehicles from Rubicon, Warlord and elsewhere.

So I don't really 'Need' to be printing 1/56 armoured vehicles. Sure, I could add a Deacon or a Command vehicle, no one is going to think me mad if I add a couple of jeeps, an LVT Buffalo or a Semovente 90. But once those are done, there's nowhere to go!  

Ships and stuff... 

So I print a few ships off for a bloke I know, he's playing Coastal Patrol (the Lardies 'Cruel Seas') and the prints look nice...  Nooooo... must resist... too many projects already. 

But how would it hurt to run a few off for myself; after all, you only need a few, they won't take long to paint, a blue cloth is all the terrain you need. And bang,.. just like that, I'm downloading the rules (Too Fat Lardies Summer Special 2011 £5.50) and figuing out how many coastal freighters I might want, and whether a Fairmile D or B would be best, and where to source clear acrylic bases (or not) 

And then there's the funky stuff you look at, and say to yourself - that's cool! French 1930s armoured vehicles. Laffly 80, Panhard 179, VUDB armoured personnel carriers..  and next thing you know, you're looking at Perry's French desert troops, and wondering .. Vichy or Free French? Or maybe some Foreign Legion, I am pretty sure I have some Ruffian 'Arab' types in the lead stash...   and that's it, another hare off and running!

Oooh - steam-punky and Colonial. Still awaiting cleanup

Have I mentioned I have a Resin Kegrasse P16 Halftrack I picked up cheap on eBay, a VUDB or two, and AMD Laffly 80 all printed? All I need to find is a file for a Dodge Tanake and it's on.... 

Not to mention I did a bunch of 15mm prints for a friend, and I do have the 'O Group' rules... 

French & German Early War in 15mm

So probably just as well I took some time out and actually did some painting as opposed to printing...

Poor blokes..!!

Ok, it's only two figures scavenged from the Perry plastics set, on Warbases dials and Warpainter Scenics tufts, but these guys have been hanging around for ages, so it's yet another part of the 'tidying up' of the backlog. They will most likely be Shock Markers for Sharp Practice. 

All I have to do is not let the printing outrun the painting...  ha!!!

3d Printing

So I have now had a good chance to have a go at this 3d printing lark, and I have actually got to the stage where they mostly work rather than fail. I haven't yet had a go at printing figures but the level of detail I can get with the printer suggests it shouldn't be a problem, so that might be the next step.

So far I have been able to do a bunch of prints for a friend who expressed an interest in 15mm Early War French, and managed to throw in a set of German armour as well. Then some vessels for someone doing 1/300 WW2 Naval. At the moment the printer is humming away quietly as it tackles a 1/300 Hunt Class British Destroyer. 

Mostly I have been doing 28mm WW2 stuff for myself. Some it to fill in gaps, others just to try out new vehicles. Some of the print files are upscaled 15mm and it shows, while others have been fettled for 28mm detail, and work much better. Anyway - here they are:

Update, added in the 88mm. 1st Corps crew, 3d printed 88.

Upscaled, these are not the best quality, but quite usable

YOu can see the layers quite clearly.

For Malaya, another Universal Carrier, an Indian Pattern Carrier and a Marmon Herrington A/C

The rear of the Marmon shows print layers. Angling the vehicle while printing would help

A selection for North Westen Europe

Pretty sure that's a non standard WaspIIc but it will do in the meantime.

Sdkfz 221 needed for the new Pint Sized Campaign 

The 15mm prints I did for a mate. 

So what's next...  hopefully, with lockdown easing I might even get to play a game!

Malayan Platoon

Having checked back, I see I first started assembling my 2 Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders for the Malaya Campaign back in December 2019, so 18 months later, I have finally finished these guys. 

The whole platoon plus supports

Of course, as a wargamer, no platoon is ever finished, and I found myself printing off a 1/56 Marmon-Herrington the other day/ So there will be one more vehicle added, then that's it. I promise. No really, stop laughing there.

2lb AT gun, Perry Miniatures

Vickers MMG, Perry Miniatures

Command plus 2" mortar, Boyes AT rifle, Medic and FOO. 

A close up of the squads

Another glamour shot

The first squad

The figures are from the Perry Desert Rats plastic set, with additional heads from Woodbine. I'm quite pleased how these turned out. Looking forward to getting them into the jungle.