"Historicon AAR for www.wargamer.com with 400 pictures" Topic

Historicon AAR with 400 images from the convention. The link to the picture album is at the bottom of the article, last one. The album does include around 60 of my two events (hey, my game, my camera) and a good 340 pictures for everything else.

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Ciao, Colonel Bill

That's gonna take me a while to get through! Thanks for sharing the eye candy.

Thanks for AAR
Clif

Colonel, I think you have too much time on your hands!

Great report.

I just saw them all. I could tell by the PEL this was going to be the best one ever. The pictures just confirmed that. I am going next year.

When I saw all those super glossy FPW figures I kept wanting to get out my Testors Dullcote and spray about ten coats on them. Could not be in a game with those figs. Too distracting. At least for me.

The dealers area was fantastic. How would I get all the stuff I want to buy on the plane?

I'm back after going through them, thanks again. Though I think it was a bit unfair to show the dealers' area, so much stuff to buy! :-)

I gloss my stuff for a couple of reasons, the first being that it protects better. The second is that with the poor lighting found at convention venues, the gloss makes the color pop. With an auto flash camera, they look distracting, but when playing in a convention room, they look just fine to the Mark 1 eyeball :).

Ciao, Colonel Bill

PS: I get paid for this, soooooo . . . :)

Wow thank you Colonel Bill!

Thanks for all of the pictures, Bill. Allowed me to see more of the various games than I got a chance to see while I was there.

Jim

I gloss my stuff for a couple of reasons, the first being that it protects better.

BIll, that is a myth.

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Also go to the links in the comments section. BTW! I don't mind glossy figures. They look "Old School". They are your figures and should look as you wish.

Hmmm, that is interesting because there are a number of professional paint and art sites (networx.com, mycolortopia.com, etc, etc) that emphatically say gloss is much more durable. I do know that when I used flat overcoat I noticed after a decent period of handling you could see bare metal where the paint had rubbed off. Never with gloss.

That said, every one of the sites mentioned that gloss paint or overcoat will emphasize imperfections much more than matte or flat.

Likely doesn't matter (and I have pondered matte over gloss) because of the lighting issue I mentioned.

Ciao, Colonel Bill

Bill, a tried and true method that I've used on thousands of figures is to spray the figures with a gloss coat first, then a coat or two of matte. That way you get the protection afforded by the gloss and the look of the flat finish. Testors Model Master works best.

I do know that when I used flat overcoat I noticed after a decent period of handling you could see bare metal where the paint had rubbed off. Never with gloss.

Not to be argumentative but that sounds like you are expecting the varnish to protect against poorly primed figures. I haven't seen that myself, but I always use a proper primer. I have seen that when people use Gesso as a primer.

Some find, when they do Aegiscg47's technique, that the figures become shiny after much handling. That is something I have noticed personally. They then assume that the "weaker" matte finish has rubbed off, exposing the "stronger" gloss coats underneath. In reality it is the sebum and oils from the sebaceous glands adhering to the surface of the figure. It does the same on your glossy figures, but you can't see it.

The chemical make up of gloss and matte varnish are the same. In the matte, very small amounts of silica powder are added. This breaks up reflected light and gives a non shiny look. I would have assumed that adding ground up quartz to your varnish would make it stronger yet.

Anyways paint and varnish how you like your troops best. Personally I like a matte look unless I want a specific effect. I like the gloss look on my Samurai to mimic the lacquered armour.

Oh, and sorry for the derail.

Well, I'm cheap :) and I prime with Krylon flat black and overspray with Krylon clear gloss or semi-gloss. These are both spray lacquers vice proper varnish, so might that be a difference?

Ciao, Colonel Bill

Great report, Colonel Bill.
A well balanced, fair evaluation of Historicon in VA vs. The Host.
Thanks for sharing so many fine photos.
I saw your game. Looked like great fun for all involved.