WW1 Dog-fights

[Dubar]

Yes they do, forgot to mention that.

Has.Been, were they store bought or 3D printed?  I have 3D printed around 30 aircraft so far in 1/72 scale and the final 5 or 6 came out very good to almost perfect.  There's a few on the table that up close look pretty shabby but I still use them.  I found I have to preheat the machine (Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro) and level it numerous times before I start a print.  Doesn't take long to do...except when I'm in a hurry. 

Painting and decaling takes some time, I've been trying to make all the decals, some come out good some don't.  Again I have to take my time when making them or the ink runs.  That is solved with numerous coats of clearcote, but finding images to use and resizing them for 1/72 is daunting.

[has.been]

damn those planes look great

Thanks Tom.

Dubar: The planes are Metal kits. Bought yonks ago from Skytrex. The assembly was a nightmare  .
            All the hard work was done by my friend John Cunningham.
            More recently we found 3d printed planes. Originally Syborg(?) but they seem to have stopped doing WW1 planes.
            Ours are all 1:144 scale, you must have a big table for 1:72 
            Tumbling dice do some nice, but very small, planes. I would dread recreating some of my camo schemes in 1:300 

[Dubar]

I started in 1/144 scale, but I found I didn't have the "technique" for doing the paint schemes like I wanted, it's hard enough in 1/72.

I only have a 4x6ft table, it's actually three 2x4ft tables pushed together and covered by a cloth mat with 4" hexes from Cigar Box.



My rules use hexes for movement, the hexes seem to give things a more structured feel.  Movement using hexes brings up some interesting situations, many times I miss out on getting in a shot simply because I didn't have enough, or too much, movement to use.  I had thought about making rules for variable speed on each turn but I'm trying to keep it simple.

[flatpack]

Tumbling dice 1/600 (not even 1/300) ww1 aircraft, with camo.
Painted in my earlier years (when I had proper eyes) 
It can (or should I say, could) be done.

[Dubar]

1/600?!?!?!  Do you wear an electron microscope instead of glasses when you play???

You need to but a fly in the photo next time to give us some reference!

[gweirda]

1/600?!?!?!  Do you wear an electron microscope instead of glasses when you play???

Those models are truly amazing (-and I can relate to the "when I had eyes that worked" sentiment!).  If the range of models had been more extensive back when I started in the genre (or more precisely: my knowledge of them) I would have picked it rather than the 1/300 road I went down.

---TANGENT ON SCALE---
Big models are cool (60 years of building can testify to the truth of that!), but -perhaps more than in other genres?- the disparity between ground/model scales messes with the 'game the action, not the things' focus for tabletop play that I've been leaning into more and more as the years pass.  The 'fender-to-fender' aesthetics aside, presenting a false/misleading impression of the battlefield space goes far, imo, in creating a hurdle which players must clear when translating the gaming picture on the table to the reality (and -more importantly- the decisions that need to be made by the players) it represents.

dunno...gaming is meant to be fun, which is personal, so anything works if it is being enjoyed.

[has.been]

Tumbling dice 1/600 (not even 1/300) ww1 aircraft, with camo.
Painted in my earlier years (when I had proper eyes) 
It can (or should I say, could) be done.

I have seen these in the flesh & they are even better than the pictures.
On the 'When I had proper eyes' front,
I once (never again) worked on 20 1/300th Greek Hoplites.
Cut away the cast spears, replaced them with bristles from a tooth brush.
I even painted individual shield designs !!!!
Like I said, 'Never again'.

[Dubar]

Every time I open this page and see those 1/600 aircraft I want to make the sound of bees!!!  BZZZ

I've made stands for my planes using bamboo skewers, cut to length and topped with an alligator clip.  I also use binder clips around the skewer to hold the aircrafts "Speed" placard.  If the aircraft loses speed due to damage I can quickly swap the placard out.  I mounted the skewer onto a clear hex base with direction arrow stickers I printed out.

The small hex photo of the aircraft (behind the base) is used to indicate (1) the starting position of the aircraft (helps when planning next moves) and once moved the photo is turned over to the blank side.  And (2) when it comes time for the aircraft to shoot I turn it back over to indicate it has completed its move.

[gweirda]

(leaning heavily into the tangent-zone!  )

I've made stands for my planes using bamboo skewers, cut to length and topped with an alligator clip.  I also use binder clips around the skewer to hold the aircrafts "Speed" placard.  If the aircraft loses speed due to damage I can quickly swap the placard out.

Dunno how many speed placards you use, but it may be less cumbersome in-game (if requiring a bit more work initially) to draw/create a scale on the bamboo and then use small clips (I use tiny 'clothespins') to indicate which number/status applies at any given moment.  The different colored clips can represent different statistics.

[Dubar]

That's cool!!!  I have a container full of "Speed" markers, from 1 to 12, it's sometimes cumbersome to find the correct marker as they are thin and slippery (laminated) and I made maybe a dozen each.

Now I have a project for the weekend!!!

[aphillathehun]

Every time I open this page and see those 1/600 aircraft I want to make the sound of bees!!!  BZZZ

I've made stands for my planes using bamboo skewers, cut to length and topped with an alligator clip.  I also use binder clips around the skewer to hold the aircrafts "Speed" placard.  If the aircraft loses speed due to damage I can quickly swap the placard out.  I mounted the skewer onto a clear hex base with direction arrow stickers I printed out.

The small hex photo of the aircraft (behind the base) is used to indicate (1) the starting position of the aircraft (helps when planning next moves) and once moved the photo is turned over to the blank side.  And (2) when it comes time for the aircraft to shoot I turn it back over to indicate it has completed its move.

Nice trains.

[Fitz]

Here's my collection of all the 1/300 scale planes I've constructed and painted so far. There are a bunch still incomplete.

They're about half scratch-built from card, wire and wood, and the other half from Heroics & Ros. The Halberstadt CL-II in the middle came from C-in-C.

They don't get nearly as much use as they should; in fact it's been years since I've managed to talk anyone into pushing them around a table top.

[gweirda]

...the tangent has now coiled upon itself and created its own circle! 

...1/300 scale planes I've constructed and painted...about half scratch-built from card, wire and wood...

I believe the proper adjective for those is "lovely", and quite right.  Having done some myself the applause is heartfelt.

They don't get nearly as much use as they should; in fact it's been years since I've managed to talk anyone into pushing them around a table top.

Stuck in the same boat (hmm...isn't there an aerial phrase we can use instead?  ) - it's a bit of a problem for the genre (-getting enough players gathered to play a fair-sized game).  My solution in the form of (struggling, nascent) rules is there if you'd like to give it a try ( = offer torn between embarrassing self-promotion and honest desire to give help) - drop me a PM if interested.

[Dubar]

gweirda,

I found a 3D printable "turn pole" on Thingiverse, have to give it a go sometime today:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2844150

I already know I need to reduce its size.  What I want to do is just make the "flags" and use them on my existing poles.  I'll most likely have to make 100 or so flags!!!  But hey, I'm retired and have plenty of time (I hope)!

[Dubar]

aphillathehun,

I have an O-scale layout in my upstairs "hobby room" that is approximately 13'x30', the layout goes around the perimeter of the room thru a "tunnel" cut into a dividing wall that separates the upstairs into 2 rooms.  My wife passed back in 2014 and I soon took the entire upstairs over, I figure when I have to I can always close up the small tunnel portal.  I run 3-rail trains on 2-rail track, my engines are Battery-Operated, Remote-Control (BPRC, otherwise known as deadrail) using Xmits and Rcvrs from RCS Australia, Deltang, and Micron Radio Control in the UK.  Going on 10 years now with zero failures.  It can be a tight squeeze when I put the gaming tables up, but I manage.  When I'm gaming WW1 aircraft I use a 4x6ft setup and when I game WW2 I use a 4x4ft setup.