"Roman Citizens and town in 54mm" Topic

On my game tables I have set up my 54mm Roman and Carthaginian armies to see what I have and to determine what other units I will need. I also set up an Italian farmhouse and Roman town on the game table. See pictures below.

Click on the link to my blog to view many more pictures of the 54mm terrain and figures:

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Pretty cool. Good job.

Looks like a nice little place in the country. Be a shame if a bunch of marauding, runaway gladiators were to drop in unannounced.

You're playing Romans vs. Carthaginians, and your ship belongs to the landlubbers? For shame!

I am not a fan of 54mm, but that is a really nice looking collection.

- Ix

Thank you Admiral! :)

The ship is just paying a visit to port for some R&R in the taberna.

You're living the dream, Jim.
I even forgive you for telling me "Shut up, John" at a SYW Con.
You're an inspiration.

I think everything he does is an inspiration. And always in the wrong scale!

Nice indeed, some great vignettes, be perfect for a super sized Gangs of Rome game.

Very impressive!

Wow, that isn't a cheap table and it is very well done.

Quite the set-up.

Probably the best 54mm painting I've ever seen. Love your work. I would not touch your figures, however, in a game…

I paint soft plastic figures, as well: 60mm Vikings (fantasy Frost Giants), and loads of 54mm Army Men. I can keep the paint on them for maybe 10 years, then it flakes off, and they only last that long if I am careful in handling them -- I have to avoid flexing their weapons.

I gave up painting my Army Men figures for around 10 years, as I was tired of seeing them flake off, years later.

I'm experimenting with pH Neutral PVA Glue normally used for book binding, on their bases. School Glue, a poor version of PVA Glue, is not the greatest. I discovered that the high-end PVA Glue remains tacky, so far it is still tacky after five weeks of drying! My hope is that it will hold onto the sand I apply to the bases, better than the School Glue holds it.

I know about painting PVA Glue over soft plastic figures, but School Glue is brittle when dry, so I have no faith in it, at all. LOL! My quest continues.

Absolutely superb painting, crafting, etc. The variety of poses you have found is amazing. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

FYI, all of the civilian figures are collectors figures that one buys already painted, so I did not paint those. The mass units of soldiers are all plastic figures, largely HaT figures that I painted. I'm a good painter, but nowhere near as good as the painted collectors figures. I wish that I could paint flesh as well as the collectors figures (John Jenkins Designs and King & Country).

For my plastic figures, I give them a wash in hot soapy water and then prime them with Army Painter brand of primer. AP gives the figures a hard egg shell painting surface that lasts longer than any other primer that I've tried, and believe me, I think that I tried them all. The worst primer for plastic figures is Vallejo – the primer flacks off too easily and I found that I've had to strip the paint and start over with priming and painting with Vallejo (which is probably good for metal figures, but terrible for plastic).

When I'm finished painting, I give the figures a healthy coating of gloss finish. You can then spray a matte finish over the gloss if that is your preference. So far I've had no significant paint flacking and this is after giving my figures a heavy workout in convention games.

Occasionally I will get some flacking on bayonets or raised swords, although the swords are best replaced with metal pin swords. I dab black paint over the damage as a sort of primer and then paint over the black.

I glue plastic figures using two part epoxy. Tacky Glue was recommended to me, but I've had mixed results with with figures falling off the bases.

Brilliant table!

Is that trireme from the Playmobil Roman line?

Spray your plastics with clear plastic dip when done to help keep the paint on.

Yes, the boat is the Playmobile Roman vessel. I also have the Greek version. These are nicely sized to work with 54mm figures.

Yeah, Plasti-dip clear is a marvel! I keep 3 or 4 cans around to protect my soft plastic figs. Best product ever for that!

Thanks.

John

I have never heard of plasti-dip spray. I just looked it up, and I have indeed never seen it. Are you talking about using it with hard plastic figures—Perry, GW, etc.—or just softer plastic figures? Or both?

It can work on anything. I like it on my soft plastic figs. It dries matte and clear.

Thanks.

John

Soft plastic for me as well.