Cassette Bots WIP

This micro Bumblebee toy turns out to be the perfect size for a cassette bot. Rather than get bogged down trying to recreate Rumble and Frenzy etc, I thought I would just create some new characters.

 Standing knee high to the host bot is perfect size wise. It's also great to have a range of sizes in the armies. These little bots will have the scout stats in  the Xenos Rampant rules. They will act as the eyes and ears for the armies.

They are tiny and a joy to build.

Update: Ratchet the Autobot medic gets his Alt mode. There is something really nice about painting these tiny vehicles.

The first of the new cassette bots is painted up. I've called him Flashbang. Maybe the large panel on his chest could be used to dazzle other bots. Being so tiny, they need beefed up guns in able to damage other transformers.

He's a speedy little spark, the perfect scout for the Autobots.

Union Skirmishers

Basing again and these little skirmish bases were very enjoyable to do, being so simple.

To save time, I skipped the flock box again, The 6mm static grass was sprinkled on, then the base was turned upside down and waved around. This movement helped pull the grass upright.

I also finished off these artillery implacements. These were dry brushed then painted with brown contrast paints. Nice and quick but with an effective result.

Here we see a regiment with it's skirmishers thrown out Infront to form a screen.

 

Hay Barn

A nice finishing touch to this barn was to sprinkle so hay/straw around the doors. I think this gives it a more lived in look and adds a bit more colour to the drab model.

I think it works well on these big doors where a lot of straw would be kicked outside.

Next up on the basing work list are the skirmishers. While I had them out, I couldn't resist putting together a couple of regiments for Bonnie Blue Flag.

I had given my units four skirmishers each as opposed to three in the rules. However, if I were to play a big game with loads of regiments, I could always go down to a single round base per unit. 

 The secret hay formula, I normally use this stuff for my Little Big Horn terrain where the colour is perfect for dry plains grass.

Basing Day!

Its time to finally bite the bullet and break open the flocks again. It's my Birthday tomorrow and I'm hoping to get a game in of Bonnie Blue Flag. To do that I'll need some Rebs.

Every time I do my basing, I always end up tweaking and refining the process a little.

I used to use Wood glue but I find it really quite awkward to work with now. The bottles are always getting clogged up and blocked. Getting the glue out once used is a nightmare. So this time I'm going back to good old PVA. 

After a generous layer of glue is applied, I sprinkle a pinch of small grit onto the base first.

Then a layer of moss coloured flock is added to fill in all the gaps while the glue is still wet.

The grit being added first will show through the base flock layer. This looks quite realistic. This basic set up will act as the foundation to add the static grass, leaves and tufts onto latter.

I'm actually quite enjoying the process today, which makes a change. I always end up putting it off for months at a time. There's nothing like a deadline to make you pull your finger out.
 

Not a bad afternoons work, there should be enough there for a battle or two.

After the glue is dry from the first two layers, I add static grass in patches. After this I go to my old favourite, Mixed herbs. These dried herbs make for excellent leaf litter and twigs. They also add some nice colour variation to the base.

When completely dry I will brush off the static grass from the figures too 

Lastly come the tufts. I sometimes cut up large ones to make them go further.

Small stones from the garden are added to some bases to make them a bit different from the others. Likewise, twigs make for great fallen logs.

Here are some bases for my 15mm Little Big Horn project. It's great to get them finished after looking at them on the work top for so long. They are drying buffalo hides and meat on racks. They should add some interest to the camp.

Here is a close up of my leaf mixture. Lots of tubs of Mixed herbs with a few miniature leaves mixed in too.

Above is the base with the static grass added.

The Brigades go down to the riverside and rest in the shade of the trees.

A timely Birthday present arrives, I love these scenario books! This one is full of fictional scenarios, should make for a nice bit of bedtime reading.

Update:As night falls I set about adding some last minute tweaks to the bases. To add a bit more depth, I've sprinkled on some 6mm static grass in patches. I can't be bothered to break out the messy flocking machine and just do it by hand. Once the grass is on the base, I blow on it to help it stand up 

Time ran out for a battle this weekend, but a date has been pencilled in for later this month.

While I have all the flocks out, it seems right to finally finish this barn with it's big base.

I didn't go crazy with the grass flock as I wanted it to look quite earthy and worn around the doors.

Again, with my Americas flock in full swing, it was time to finish the 16th Dragoons too. These have just the first two stages done at the moment.

I mixed up clumps of the grit with PVA to create an uneven ground. This thick mixture was also handy for hiding the horse bases too.

Another nice little trick is to put some glue on the long grass and tufts, then sprinkle on some leafy flock to create plants and undergrowth.

There was a tuft colour that I wasn't quite sure off, so a quick sprinkle with some green flock and all is fixed.

These new little bushes and weeds really improve the bases and make them look very realistic.

Update: finished off the bases today.