CANVAS EAGLES???

[gweirda]

...tried collapsing antennas for stands but they seemed flimsy and would tip over easily...

Yeah, stock antennas have only a centimeter or so of bearing surface between sections (often less) so full extension always creates a serious amount of wobble.  This can be solved by disassembly and adding a second bearing surface.  I put one a third of the way up the section, so that what was once a 6" section was now just 4" - obviously only two-thirds the height but sturdy.

[Dubar]

That gives me an idea...The bamboo skewers I bought were 30" or so long, I could cut some at different heights to represent altitude.  They pop in/out of the base easily and if they wear out I know I can get more.  I think I cut 6" lengths for the ones I'm using now.  Maybe cut some in 3", 9", and 12" to give me enough to satisfy.  Maybe even find/make a clamp that would go up and down a 12" piece and tighten in place with a set screw.  A piece of nylon tube or pvc pipe if I could find a hole that matches the diameter of the bamboo, I could drill and tap a hole in the sleeve for a set screw then somehow attach the alligator clip to it.  Hmmmmm 

[SteveBurt]

I use telescopic magnetic pickup tools as stands, mounted in 18mm MDF hexes. These are very stable. Surprised you find you seldom change altitude; we find climbing or diving essential to get planes off your tail, and some manoeuvres such as Immelman, Split S, Loop or Falling Leaf require you to climb or dive.

[Dubar]

I started playing Canvas Eagles this time last year but got involved with wild west and WW2, haven't touched Canvas Eagles in 8 months or so until recently.  The airplanes draw me back to it, they are simply fascinating.

Last century I had my student pilot's license but getting married got in the way, never picked it back up or got my pilot's license, had 35 hours in a Cessna 150 soloing after 8.6hrs.  Ha...at the time the rates were $10 with instructor and $7 solo and they supplied the gas when flying around the home field!!!  I can't recall any solo, cross-country trips where I had to stop and get gas.

My dad was in the 9th USAAF and I'm sure that was the motivation behind it all.  I'll get around to incorporating more of the rules soon enough.

[Dubar]

Another CE query.

Being I'm gaming solo, I'm at a bit of disadvantage (or advantage depending on how you look at it) being that I see both sides moves.

During play, how often do you see opposing aircraft simply buzzing around without any combat taking place?  I know it's possible if both sides happen to choose maneuvers that never bring them within 3 hexes of one another.  That could go on for days!!!

Is there any home rules that say you MUST maneuver your kite towards an altercation???  I mean...you could go off into oblivion if you're not careful. 

(And I still have moments where I move numerous times before the stars get aligned)

[gweirda]

Is there any home rules that say you MUST maneuver your kite towards an altercation???

Not for CE, but I give my pilots a "Pluck" rating (1-5) that indicates how keen they are and roll against it (either as 1d6 or a dice pool) to determine how aggressive they will be in a situation. Using it along with a similar rating for experience (to determine if they see/understand what's going on around them) lets me 'pilot' many models on the table (on both sides) without creating an unrealistic amount of coordination.

Playing the game like this does make you a bit more of a spectator to a certain extent, though.

[Dubar]

In Canvas Eagles each player chooses which maneuver he will accomplish next.  Seems like a character with experience, veteran, or "ace" rating would have the option of choosing/changing his move AFTER the opposing player(s) have moved.  I doubt the Red Baron would have gone into a climb to the left if he saw his opponent making a dive to the right, if his objective was to go after him with guns blazing.

The homemade rules I'm currently messing with use the "whoever rolls the lowest on a 1D6" moves first.  Still not the best method so maybe I need to heed my own advice and incorporate something for "veteran's preference"!!!

[gweirda]

"whoever rolls the lowest on a 1D6" moves first.

The '1 to 5' rating for experience I use is actually '-2 to +2', which allows for a modifier to the d6 initiative roll (with those pilots with '+' ratings allowed to add or subtract from the roll).  Adding a tailing bonus to the roll (using another, game-variable rating) gives all the advantage I feel necessary to make the story play out in a reasonable fashion -- sometimes the 'Ace' screws up, but that just makes the game more interesting! (ie: unpredictable)  Within the si-move paradigm of CE, I'd guess that using the initiative for when a maneuver is chosen -rather than when it is executed- is the way to go?

[Dubar]

Within the si-move paradigm of CE, I'd guess that using the initiative for when a maneuver is chosen -rather than when it is executed- is the way to go?

That's what I'm thinking.  I just need to work on the mechanics a bit more.

I should be getting 10 more aircraft from Reduced Aircraft Factory in a day or 2.  That'll give me 28 different planes to choose from.  Well 27 cause I have 2 Fokker DVIII already, my favorite plane.

[Dubar]

Here's a few of the Reduced Aircraft Factory planes in their "Versatile" Plastic material.  Albatros DII, Bristol F2b, Hanriot HD1, Albatros DIII, and Sopwith Triplane:

[Dubar]

The graininess is NOT the camera, it's the material used by RAF.  The smoother material they offer is a lot more expensive and not available in all aircraft if I remember correctly.  Some of the planes I have came in with no color, these photos show their color printed line.  After painting and decaling the unpainted models I opted for the color printed versions, I doubt I could have done a better job using the paint/decal method, other than the paint covers the graininess up very well.

The photos on page 1 show aircraft that were painted/decaled and from a distance.  These photos are very close up, they really don't look so rough from a couple of feet away.  I'm thinking a coat of clear spray might cover some of the grain and darken the paint jobs a bit.

While I like Canvas Eagles, at my age I want a simpler game I can play with my 6 and 8 yr old grandsons,  so I developed my own set of rules (now 5 pages long, but there's just 1 page that, once you get some basics down, you need to refer to when playing.  I'm constantly improving them (it was 3 pages) and they seem to be doing what I wanted.

[Fitz]

Back before I had 3d printers of my own, I used to get my models printed by Shapeways, usually in their sintered nylon material, which looks very much like that. I found it acceptable for gaming pieces, even if it's a bit rugged for diorama-quality models.

The colour surface printing is new to me though, and I have to say it looks better than I expected. It would certainly take the heartache out of painting lozenge camo, for a start!

Like all of these technologies, I guess it will become mainstream in time. Probably too late for me though.

[Dubar]

Back before I had 3d printers of my own, I used to get my models printed by Shapeways, usually in their sintered nylon material, which looks very much like that. I found it acceptable for gaming pieces, even if it's a bit rugged for diorama-quality models.

The colour surface printing is new to me though, and I have to say it looks better than I expected. It would certainly take the heartache out of painting lozenge camo, for a start!

Like all of these technologies, I guess it will become mainstream in time. Probably too late for me though.

LOL, too late for me as well!  I'm trying to wait for the Star Trek Replicator to become available!

The first batch of planes I received from them had to be painted and decaled, that's when I decided to get the color printed versions next time around.  Well worth the money I think even if they are a tad "rugged".  I did spray 1 coat of clear on them this afternoon but 1 coat didn't do much good trying to smooth out the finish.  I've included another view of the Salmson with the clear coat applied.  Now that I think about it, the added cost of paint and decals most likely surpassed that of the color printed versions.

What type of 3D printer do you have?  I have been thinking about getting one but most things I want I'd probably need to design them myself as I've seen nobody offer them yet.  I also model O-scale trains and the railroad I model after, none of the major manufacturers has scratched the surface on what the RR had.  I've tried my hand at 3D drawing (I was a draftsman back in the 4th quarter of last century) and failed miserably.  Guess if I do get a printer I'll have to buy the files.

[Fitz]

I have two printers, both quite old now: a Creality Ender 3 for FDM, and an Elegoo Mars Pro for resin.

I generally put my modeling stuff up on https://mojobob.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to see the results from both printers.

[Dubar]

Thanks Fitz, I'll take a look.