New Fleet Started

So these Navwar ships are very easy to paint. This was one days work. Tack to cardboard using thinned PVA. Attach the ship descriptions from the packs (otherwise I am sure to confuse Type 22 Block 2 with Block 3), undercoat spray gray. Wash with GW Badab Black, then wet-brush a very pale gray, and pick out details with white, black and a pale Indian red for decks. (Yes I know - probably not accurate..)  I will go back and redo the hulls to make them more even.

So pretty much from spray one morning, to this stage the next day. Basing and preparing labels actually takes much longer.  I reckon I may get out the jig-saw and have a go at some craft wood - as the last basing material wasn't ideal (spray varnish ate into the base sides).

Now I just need to re-read the rules and once that's done, put down a couple of ships and try out a solo game.

The Red Banner - Soviet Fleet finished

Still waiting for some aircraft to arrive, but here they are in all their glory.

The Red Banner Fleet gets Wet

Or at least the basing progresses to the point where I actually quite like the look of these guys.

I had washed the plain bases with GW Blue Ink, and then slapped a load of acrylic gel on, using an old brush and schlepping some wave patterns in.

The gel is white when wet - and dries glossy clear, but while wet, gives you a really good idea of how the finished drybrush will look.

Of course, there has to be a bow-wave when you are charging towards the Imperialistic Capitalist Running Dogs at 30 Knots!

Basing the Red Banner Fleet

Ok, so I decided I was going with some decently thick bases.. two principal reasons.. 

1. It would make handling the base easier, rather than damaging the models.

2. It would give me a good way to add labels to the models.

So off I went to Eckerslys, which is convenient as it is next to the Medical Centre. The upside is every time I get sick and have to go to the Doctor, I come home with all sorts of new paints, craft materials etc...  the downside is every time I get sick and have to go to the Doctor, I come home with all sorts of new paints, craft materials etc... 

Thomo had sent me a sample of the material he was using for his basing, but I couldn't locate any, so I thought I would go for the old foam/card sandwich material. It has one drawback, which is that unless you cut it with a very sharp knife, it will 'tear' along the internal polystyrene.

So here is is...   

Next step is to add labels, then matt lacquer these. Following that, a wash of green ink on the bases to add depth, paint on the acrylic compound scrunch for waves, and drybrush white... 

Red Banner Fleet - stopping Now!

So rather than keep reworking these, I have decided they are done...

 

 

Red Banner Fleet coming together

They are starting to look the business. Once this is all nice and set, I will go back with an off-white and start doing some highlights. From various photographs, it looks like gun turrets, missiles tubes or tube caps were a slightly lighter colour. There are also ships' boats - helicopters and so on.

I just need to get some bases cut. Still think I will go with magnetised veneer from Olympian Games. 

The air wing. I have ordered some 1/2400 choppers from QRF, so will add these when they arrive.

The cruisers, again, I really like these models, and a few highlights, helicopter deck markings, hull numbers etc should make these pop on their bases.

Pauk and Tarantul Corvettes, the Tarantuls carry really big scary anti-ship missiles. The Pauk are basically ASW.

I know the boomers shouldn't have the white stripe, but the black was so dense and unrelieved. I am going to go back and add some missile panel patches in a very dark grey to try and create something a bit more interesting.

Progress.. (past Murmansk?)

Quick paint on the decks of the carrier, plus  GW 'space-wolves grey' drybrush on the rest of the Red Banner..

Here's how they look day two..  red decks to go, interestingly I noticed on the older ships, the deck is a greyish red/brown, and the helidecks etc are quite a red brown.

Boris Chilikin - Fleet Oiler

The Flat-tops

Pauk & Tarantul Corvettes

Slava & Ukrainya

Udaloys & Typhoons O My!

So the grey undercoat, black wash and first drybrush are on. The light isn't good, but I think they are still too dark..

 Typhoons - big b*stards!

Udaloy I with Sovremenny in the background.. then Kara, and Sava Class Missile Cruisers.

Krasniy Oktyabr

So - orders placed 14 May, and today (9 working days later), I have my fleet packs and my copy of Shipwreck.

So I peeked earlier, decided I really liked the look of a c 1990 Soviet fleet, and started the process tonight. The fleet packs cost me about 12.50 UK pounds each, and represent excellent value. (I notice in the latest catalogue they are listed as 15 pounds each, so they may have gone up.)

Here's the Soviets, all sizes... 6 corvettes, 6 subs, 7 destroyers/cruisers, and two aircraft/helicopter carriers. I rather like these.

I have heard mixed reviews of the Navwar vessels, but on the whole I was very happy. They don't have the detail of GHQ 1/2400 (nor did I expect them to), but they are perfectly adequate. I had to do a couple of minutes running the x-acto over them to adze off the mould lines, but otherwise they look the business. The only one that had any real issue was the Sovremenny destroyers, where the mould seemed to have been ever so slightly misaligned, and it just took some rather more vigourous scraping to get an acceptable finish.

Assembly was the gantries on the Boris Chilikin fleet oiler, and a separate 'island' for the Admiral Kuznetsov. No challenge there.

So now they are primed gray, and the first step is a black wash, then a serious 'wet-brush' of a lighter gray.

"Krasniy Oktyabr" ? Well, when you have three Typhoon Class subs, of course one of them has to be "Red October", Comrade Captain... 

'CRAZZZY CRAZZZY PRICES!!!!!'

I have been so good this year. Unlike some other people I don't post totals - but I have literally not bought a figure, my only wargames purchases a couple of bottles of paint, some bases from Dean at Olympian Games, and some rules.

I even had a good hard look at my lead stocks, converted some into the basis of the Desert Rajputs, made some decisions about what I was likely to paint, unlikely to paint, which armies I had in raw lead that were too similar to existing armies...  which periods I could cover. Then took the rest down the club and it was like one of those 'Shouty' ads...   you know.. 'CRAZZZY CRAZZZY PRICES!!!!!'

Well - ok, so trying to persuade hard-core wargamers that they need more lead is like flogging bottles of Scotch at an AA meeting... they know they shouldn't but... 

So, several kilos of lead lighter (thanks Tim, Jon, Michael etc... ) I had a few hundred bucks in my pocket, and by coincidence, there was this bloke on TMP selling a Medieval Army for a mere $200...  

I excused myself with the thought that it was merely a like for like swap...   so X kilos of unpainted lead for a bunch of (quite nicely) painted stuff...  all good.. 

Then that evil man Thomo posted this...   Navwar 1/3000 modern ships.. using the 'Shipwreck' Naval Rules.

Ok, so how much could it hurt, if I just ordered the rules.. not expensive..  here in a few days (I hope..) then I can decide whether I want some ships. So no prizes for guessing where this is going...   Right, straight to the Navwar site to order some ships...   Now did I mention Thomo's earlier post..? where he discusses just how hard navwar make it to do business with them in this day of internet ordering and online payments and stuff?

One international fax later, and of course, it isn't cost effective to do a small order, so three navies coming my way in 1/3000 from Navwar..   Japan, UK and USSR. Japan could be involved almost anywhere in the Pacific (Kuriles anyone?) - Russia world-wide, and the UK because of relatives who served in the RN...

Lead pledge broken...   or do really, really, tiny ships not count?