"1/144 Russians" Topic

Here are some of my 1/144 Russians These are all 3D prints except the AT 4 Ground mount. All available as STL's from My Mini factory, all done at home on Th Prusa Mk3S+, You can get the models from Only Games Europe or Shapeways US.

I am very proud of the IMR2 it took some doing but even that one is an FDM print. The arm is removable but when we Commissioner it we only went for the grab. When we did the German Buffel we had a couple of arms done but we never used the alternative so we stuck with just the one arm, but kept it removable just in case. It helps keep the cost down of the commission if you let Shipyards sell it, so courtesy of Maneuover Group you get access to a model you would probably never get otherwise.

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PS the standing infantry is also FDM printed but we never adopted by us, it too much faff and the prone stuff in the picture is a far better war game system, you can stack company's of stuff in a very small space and to me looks more sensible.

link needs a login.

Links updated they should work in the original. Sorry

UshCha, confirming the photo links are up and running now.

(diggin' that BTR pictured in amphib mode!)

FlyXwire, thanks for that.

Thats why you need a 3D printer. The Shipyards have both as STL's or you could even buy the models. We had them for a show landing to be different.

They have occasionally swam down rivers to surprise the enemy.

I am very happy using Minifigs and Victrix together. The detail is great on both and I get wheat I need in one shot with Victrix. (Yeah, I used to make the Minifigs ones here in the States but haven't seen any from Caliver to speak to.)

Tom – are you talking about mixing Minifig/Victrix vehicles, or infantry, or both?

Infantry. As for mixing the vehicles, either way will not make you roll better dice!

Nice touch on the roads and water way. Is that just cut out colored paper with curved ends to make bends?

greenknight4 The roads are grey card sprayed with black paint to give texture, The roads are cut with one round end and one square end. The theory is that a straight end on a round end looks better than a superimposed curved end. I have stuck to that but the theory in this case is a bit suspect and two round ends would be more flexible to lay. Thin card as you can bend it so it conforms to hills and by putting one beneath the other you can have any length straight. Far more practical than fixed "decorative" flat pieces which almost never conform to real road networks again its a matter of priorities.

The river is the same except translucent Blue plastic wavy but round at each end for the same reasons as for the roads.

I made river sections on clear acetate the same way as your roads, except round on both ends. I have meant to make new rivers and streams out of sheet metal for years, but I never quite get around to it, and with enough decorative lichen and pebbles along the shoreline, the acetate looks okay.

I use latex roads (from Scenic Effects and Monday Knight Games), but I agree with you, they never quite work out to match the real road network on a map. The miniature roads on the table always get adjusted a bit to conform to the pieces available. Sometimes I run out of pieces.

The best way I've seen to do roads is Mark Luther's technique: just draw the suckers straight on the ground cloth with oil pastels. When you're done with the road network, throw the cloth in the laundry and they (mostly) come out again. It takes extra time, but looks great, adds zero height, conforms to all vertical terrain, and can't be moved by accident (a problem I'm sure we all agree to hate). The only reason I don't do this all the time myself is that the oil pastels don't work well on fuzzy cloth, and all my ground cloths are either felt or fleece.

- Ix

The best way I've seen to do roads is Mark Luther's technique: just draw the suckers straight on the ground cloth with oil pastels.

That's what I do on a spray-painted 4x6 foot drop cloth and for streams and gullies too. I'll also use it for other types of low-profile terrain because it looks fine and I'm cheap. It works for any scale too.

I can erase the pastel chalk.

Wolfhag

Yello Admiral, not sure how you adjust the lemgth of the pieces if they are flocked at the edge and you woulkd need a flat at one end to make the rivers look sensible at the end bends. Plus how do you get them flat at the end when overlaying them with flock on the edged. Metal, youu are never going to get them to flow down a hill.

Oil pastels, too much work, washing the cloth and drying it once a week or sometimes more frequently, seems excessive to me and what if you forget! Absolute no no with the Hexon II stuff.

If I could find very thin Latex (yes I know I could possibly make some but that woulod take up too much wargaming time) It would overlay like card but have more friction and would drape in strips perfectly no more bemding card and it can be self coloured so should wear well. Ah well we can all dream.

Yello Admiral, not sure how you adjust the lemgth of the pieces if they are flocked at the edge […]

If you mean my acetate rivers – they are not flocked, they're just bare, shiny acetate on top (and spray painted black and brown on the bottom). I just sprinkle lichen and pebbles along the banks as part of game setup, and pick it up again during cleanup.

I've never once had a river flowing downhill over a contour. My rivers and streams are always on (or define) the lowest level of the terrain, and in the best-looking setups, meander through a valley floor. That's one reason I'm considering making sheet metal pieces – they'd be less prone to movement, very modular, easy to decorate, and very nearly tough as literal nails.

- Ix

Yellow Admiral – so will you stick to acetate for streams running down hill?

I usually have rivers "on the flat" I have to admit, but some streams run down hill.

Intrestingly I did have to actually cut a piece of plastic specificaly for a river, most unusual for me.

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Worth noting this map is about the size of the board and the "river" is a UK one so only 65ft to 100 ftm wide and in many places (outside banks of the meanders and most "sraight bits) 3 to 4 ft high vertical mud banks.

If you go metal dont, throw the accetate sheet away;-).

In case you are wondering the, village is local to me and interesting wargame wise as it is surronded by steep earth bank fllod defence about 6 ft tall, lower slopes only where the roads cross it. Difficult even for for tracked to cross. Made a diffrent scenario.

Yellow Admiral – so will you stick to acetate for streams running down hill?

I have latex streams that will stay in service forever, and they should work for that. I plan to make the metal "river" pieces visually compatible (and with interface pieces) so I can keep using both together.

Someday I do have to break out the latex caulking and make some of my own. I need super-narrow little creeks sometimes, and I'll need a lot of those (conforming to the hexsides) to play Ogre/GEV on the Hexon.

- Ix