LBMS transfers and banners

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Hi gang. I've used the LBMS shield transfers for my 1/72 Romans, and want to use them for my Vikings for SAGA.

How well do they fit the Gripping Beast plastics? Are the transfers the right size or is there a bit of trimming involved?

Are the banner transfers the same type as the shield ones? How do people apply the transfers to their banners?

When people are painting over their LBMS shield transfers, are they applying the varnish to seal in the transfer, THEN painting over them, and then sealing the model once it's finished, or are they painting over the transfer to blend it in, THEN applying the varnish to seal in the transfer?

On a slightly unrelated note, how do people like to weather their shields? Washes and glazes, powders, scratch and dent marks, a combination?

[Atheling]

Hi gang. I've used the LBMS shield transfers for my 1/72 Romans, and want to use them for my Vikings for SAGA.

A few questions to answer then, I'll do my best

How well do they fit the Gripping Beast plastics? Are the transfers the right size or is there a bit of trimming involved?

Assuming that LMB do 20mm transfers then they will be fine. Just cut very carefully around the transfer with a very sharp scalpel and a steel rule and you cannot go wrong. If they are only available in 28mm for your needs then expect the banners to be larger and make provision for this.

Are the banner transfers the same type as the shield ones? How do people apply the transfers to their banners?

Yes and no. I have received some of the older (pencil on) types though not from Steve at LBM directly so they may have been completely fazed out. Best drop Steve a line, he's a very amiable fella

When people are painting over their LBMS shield transfers, are they applying the varnish to seal in the transfer, THEN painting over them, and then sealing the model once it's finished, or are they painting over the transfer to blend it in, THEN applying the varnish to seal in the transfer?

I always paint first and then apply the gloss varnish (I use Vallejo Game Colour Gloss for this purpose). I usually find that a coat of good Acrylic varnish is enough to protect the shields, no need for polyurethane that takes longer to go off properly. I'd still leave a few hours between varnishing etc.

On a slightly unrelated note, how do people like to weather their shields? Washes and glazes, powders, scratch and dent marks, a combination?

I simply apply thin washes gradually adding less and less of a surface area.

I hope that little lot is of some help to you?

As an aside, unless the shield design is very complicated I find that painting the shield free hand is often quicker then applying the transfers!

Darrell.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Thanks for the reply! I probably should have been more specific that I'm doing 28mm vikings, using the ubiquitous gripping beast plastic kits.

I have to admit, I'm not really sure how the banners would work... I'm used to working with plastic or metal pre-molded ones. Do you apply the banner to the paper, then cut it out, fold it in half, and glue it to the banner pole?

And yes, I suppose it might be easier to hand paint some of the simpler designs!

[tyrionhalfman]

LBMS do a specific range to fit different manufacturers. They do a range for the GB plastics http://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/Designs_For_Plastic_Viking_Box_Set--category--57.html so should fit perfectly, though I've not used them so can't answer any of your other questions

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

I've read some reports of 'ballooning' in cases where the transfer doesn't fit smoothly over the shield boss. Like this, I imagine:



but then other people say they fit perfectly. I guess I'm jut not sure if I should trim the inside of my transers before I apply them? To be honest, the shield in the picture appears to be slightly different to it's neighbours, so  maybe it's from a different manufacturer?

[Atheling]

Easy Gracchus Armisurplus. I'm not being facetious!

I'll walk you through it:

Go here:

http://www.littlebigmenstudios.co.uk/catalog/

Click on:

http://www.littlebigmenstudios.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=2

Select the banners you want.

With shield Transfers always go for the one's that are designed to fit the companies mini's that you are using.

Use good thick quality paper and make sure you use a metal rule and a sharp scalpel to cut out the banners. I use a small pair of sharp scissors to carefully cut out the shield transfers.

Darrell.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Cheers! I'm just waiting on the postman now, hopefully I'll have some results to post up soon!

[Atheling]

Let us know how you find them.

Darrell.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Well, here's my first attempt.

I've found that, for the most part, the hole punched in the centre of the transfers is a touch too small and needs to be fiddled with both before and after application. I tried stretching it, cutting slits in it, or 'scraping' it off the shield boss after application, with mixed results.

Also, some of the transfers are a little large so you have to cut them just a fraction smaller. If you make them too large then the edge of the transfer lays on the rim of the shield, and gives a visible ridge effect which I had to cover over on some models with liquid greenstuff before painting. Also, micro-sol didn't appear to do anything to these transfers. I hoped it would 'liquify' them like it does to waterslide transfers and let them mold to the shape of the shield, but it didn't happen for me.

My method was:

Paint shield white.
Cut out transfer and add slits to the hole for the boss to make it easier to adjust the transfer after application.
Apply transfer, wet, wait for 10 seconds, then remove.
Fiddle with shield hole as required. Usually this involves scraping the transfer away from the boss with a craft knife.
Leave overnight to dry.
Fix any shield rims that are marred by overlapping transfers
Paint/weather/shade as needed, including shield rims and bosses
Apply gloss varnish
Apply matt varnish

Finished.

If one had a steady hand and was able to paint these lovely patterns freehand, then that would be much quicker and less stressful. But sadly I don't have that steady hand and these are labour intensive, but do look lovely. I did have some issues with 'ballooning' around the shield boss because the hole wasn't big enough, and this took some time to deal with, but there's no longer a noticeable effect.

[Charlie_]

They look great! The weathering works really well.

[Marine0846]

Shields look really good.
Lovely looking Vikings,
if Vikings could be lovely.

[Dr. Zombie]

I have used LBMS transfers and banners on my Vikings. With no problems. I just painted the shields white cut out the transfers stuck them on made them wet, waited removed the paper and when dry gave them a thin coat of army painted strong tone/devlan mud.

You can se them i my thread here: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=77189.0

I used them on all sorts of shields some of the casted on GB shields are to big for the transfers and look a bit odd. But otherwise there is GB shields Wargames Factory shields, Foundry and GW shields.

For banners I cut them out with a bit of an edge still remaining. Stick them on a piece of white paper (same procedure as with the shields), when dry cut that out paint on a thin layer of white glue and wrap it around the banner pole.

[Atheling]

For banners I cut them out with a bit of an edge still remaining. Stick them on a piece of white paper (same procedure as with the shields), when dry cut that out paint on a thin layer of white glue and wrap it around the banner pole.

I saw an excellent tutorial recently where they chap had cut the banners out as normal, then painted the inside of said banners to match the corresponding colours on the outside. Then glued it all together with great results and no fiddly painting around the edges.

I was thinking, "Ah! why didn't I think of that years ago!!??"     

Darrell.

[Captain Blood]

The shields look great. At least with these GB plastic shields you have the benefit of the moulded rim, so the transfer sits fairly neatly inside that frame.
I have found the LBMS transfers tricky to use I must admit, particularly on the small early Saxon buckler shields - where there is no rim as such. Meaning you somehow have to make sense of the edge of the transfer and the actual physical edge of the shield, in order to avoid a bit of the transfer sticking up.
They are not easy to use. But like most things I guess, it does get easier with practice. If you don't have a handy metal rim to work up to, you certainly have to be prepared to spend quite a bit of time delicately painting in the shield rim to match the transfer. And yes, a bit of ballooning around the boss is also a very common problem. Overall, I'm still slightly sceptical, although they are so ubiquitous now, it's a bit academic. And - on larger size shields in particular - they do look gorgeous when the application goes well. They certainly have a transformational effect on a unit of averagely painted figures - suddenly looking like a million dollars. Which I guess, is why they are so very popular

[Dr. Zombie]

They certainly have a transformational effect on a unit of averagely painted figures - suddenly looking like a million dollars. Which I guess, is why they are so very popular

That is cartainly my main reason for using them.