The Nefarious Schemes of One Fram Framson (update 6/2 - Awooga)

[FramFramson]

Naow, how about that 'new' wood recipe? 

Okay, you can probably vary the paint colours to get different final colours for the wood. This is a moderately weathered version.

1 - Light khaki coat (I used Reaper Khaki) thinly, but messily applied over dark base (In this case it was the original green). You just want to mostly cover it, it doesn't have to be perfect and some dark bits are okay.
2 - Mix of darker brown and the khaki (added Vallejo Medium Brown), almost-drybrushed along the grain. By "almost-drybrushed" I mean the paint should still be just a little wetter than it normally would for a drybrush and thus leave some rough streaks (this is the key step).
3 - Mix of khaki and a lighter flesh tone (added Kislev Flesh), lightly drybrushed on, again with the grain.
4 - Brown ink wash to highlight recesses and texture and to add another layer of colour. The brighter the colour, the newer it'll look, of course.
5 - Matte coat (unless you want a varnished look, then you might go for satin or even gloss).

I don't think it will work with super-small areas, but for larger, mostly flat ones, it's great.

Here's a closer look:

[Mr. Peabody]

Thank you Fram. Very generous of you to take the time to spell it out for us.

I'm leery of starting on my 'Ramshackle Barn' from Renedra because I just can't get good wood.

There, I lobbed an easy one everyone can swat at.

[FramFramson]

something something the side of a broad

[d phipps]

Beautiful work, FF! 

[FramFramson]

Thanks gents 

[Duke Donald]

The wood looks very good.

BTW, as you mention you use some Vallejo paints, I wanted to ask whether you've encountered any problems with them. I recently bought some and thought there were covering well and I like their muted palette.

However, I couldn't believe how fragile they are. I managed to accidentally peel off some Vallejo paint with my wet paintbrush. Seeing this, I took a dry brush and with minimal force, all the Vallejo paint just went off, with the layer below (old GW paint) not even being scratched. I was really puzzled and have put my Vallejo paints on the side for the moment.

[FramFramson]

Odd. Can't say as that's happened to me. A great number of people on LAF swear by Vallejo. They're a minority of my paints but have worked just fine.

You might've gotten a bad bottle?

[Duke Donald]

Odd. Can't say as that's happened to me. A great number of people on LAF swear by Vallejo. They're a minority of my paints but have worked just fine.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree this is odd, I couldn't believe it. That's the reason I've asked you whether you also had any problems with them. I did a Google search and some people are complaining that they are fragile and can peel off, but what happened to me was beyond "fragile".

[pistolpete]

sorry for the non-thread related comments (some may rightfully call it highjacking)

However, I couldn't believe how fragile they are. I managed to accidentally peel off some Vallejo paint with my wet paintbrush. Seeing this, I took a dry brush and with minimal force, all the Vallejo paint just went off, with the layer below (old GW paint) not even being scratched. I was really puzzled and have put my Vallejo paints on the side for the moment.

the only time i've had 'flaking' issues is when i drop a mini. but that's mainly because i haven't used a clear coat to really seal it.  i have noticed that some vallejo colors 'separate' more than others and some are thicker/thinner - make sure to shake all of them well; overall a bit inconsistent flow wise but they are good nevertheless.  fyi vallejo black is a bit too shiny out of the bottle but that's just my aesthetic.

if you're painting over old paint, it's best to entirely strip the figure (i use easy-off oven cleaner), and primer before repainting.  just painting over old paint could have 'cling' issues no matter what paint was applied second.

[Duke Donald]

Sorry Fram for filling your beautiful thread; please don't hesitate to let me know if you had enough of chipping paint issues. If there was a general interest, I could open a new thread in workbench on issues with Vallejo paints. However, I feel I may not have been completely clear.

if you're painting over old paint, it's best to entirely strip the figure (i use easy-off oven cleaner), and primer before repainting.  just painting over old paint could have 'cling' issues no matter what paint was applied second.

I might not be the greatest painter ever, but I've been painting minis on and off for over twenty years. I would never paint over old paint. What happened is that I was painting skin and the first layer was a GW paint (Tallarn flesh) on which I built up layers of lighter skin using Vallejo paints.

[FramFramson]

Wow, that sounds especially unusual.

As pete mentioned, Vallejo paints do tend to separate sometimes and need to be shaken well. Maybe you applied a bit that looked good at a glance but had too much carrier and not enough paint?

Or again, possibly just a bad bottle.

[FramFramson]

So I've discovered a wonderful formula for getting cars sized for 28mm gaming.

As it turns out, Italian interwar cars were SMALL. So if you get Lancias, Fiats, Alfa Romeos, etc. in true 1/43 scale, they fit 28mm minis almost perfectly (you've seen my Fiat coupé, well I have a much more stolid one on the way, as well as a Lancia sedan). This seems to apply to some, but not all French cars, such as the Salmond I got.  

One question I am trying to figure out at the moment is if any of the die-cast Traction Avants will work. But out of the dozen people selling the various iterations of the famous car, no one has answered my questions about their model's exact size.

[pistolpete]

fram sorry about jumping back/distracting the thread.  i do love your vehicles almost as much as your figures - which is a lot.

@duke - sorry i misunderstood about the 'second coat' flaking issue.  i also use tallarn flesh as my skin tone basecoat (and dreading the day it runs out) but i've never experienced what you have.  the only thing that's happened to me is the second coat (vallejo dark flesh or GW elf flesh) tend to thicken/dry quickly so it sometimes gets 'blotchy' instead of a nice smooth finish.  but i write that off to my limited skill rather than the paint itself (maybe i should invest in a wet palette and some new brushes).

[Valerik]

So I've discovered a wonderful formula for getting cars sized for 28mm gaming.

I am forbidden to buy any further vehicles that I haven't touched with mine own grubby paws.
Thus I can hold a up a suitable mini for the Eyeball, Mk 1, Corrected, to approve the "scale".

I was simply forced to buy some of your bloody LA Times Ford AA lorries though, sight unseen.
Your pictures were enough, & I absolutely love the tilt!! Now stop spending my money!!

As it turns out, Italian interwar cars were SMALL.  ~  This seems to apply to some, but not all French cars, such as the Salmond I got.  

Remember Fiats were license built all over Europe, from the '20s on.
In fact in french the spelling for Fiat  is  R E N A U L T ...

Given our earlier uh, transaction,  I have a pretty damn good idea of what's too large for you.
Which works fine for me, as we doubtless differ only in details, or examples, like Lledo cars.

Well, off to try that acetone lark.
Didja buy yer own, or steal the wife's?


Valerik

rarely afflicted with post Purchase Cognitive Dissonance 

[FramFramson]

I have a big canister of my own, for when things get ugly with minis-making!