Making the Bambu Mini pay for itself

       One of the things that always bothered me about plastic minis was the huge number of spare bits that were left over after a build; dozens of heads, arms etc that were heading toward the recycling bin. I held onto the sprues, swearing that they were too useful to cast aside, and for once I was right. I stumbled across a free STL of Middle Ages warriors. by a fine fellow by the moniker of Illhadiel on Cults 3-d. Among the many files were several basic bodies with legs but no heads or arms. In an instant I knew I could use all those spare plastic parts and make my Bambu Mini a fiscally sound decision (retrospectively at least). With each mini using about two grams of FDM and a spool of FDM costing about $13US the price per body was just pennies. 

 

it took a little work to get them the right size

 but after that it was off to the races! 

Amidst the digging I found a chest of treasure

        One of the few advantages of sorting through and relocating one's lifetime collections of hobbies is that you find all those things that had gone walkabout on you. Lost items, or in this case, whole collections of projects scarcely remembered that once were burning flames. One such flame was Wargames Foundry's Trojan War series released ages ago. The models were lovely, the subject evocative and the price horrifying. My kids going off to college meant that I didn't have funds for such pursuits at the time so I stashed the collection and promised myself that I would return to it later. No doubt you will be shocked to discover that was a promise that I failed to keep (putting five kids through college took forever and my interests wandered). 

 

when I found this tucked behind a stack of ammo-cans I wondered what it held... 

 

 

to my great joy it was the long-lost Trojans

with the group now playing Midgard instead of WRG 6th I no longer need 20 plus chariot models

suddenly fielding a Mycenaean Period army becomes a reality 

 

 

now "all" I have to do is assemble and paint them

I guess my Summer project has been decided upon! 

Trench Crusade, Trench Missionaries

        In the constantly expanding world of Trench Crusade Wargames Atlantic is offering us Trench Missionaries, the Mormon crusaders, right down to the white shirt and black ties (I almost expected to find a set of bicycles in the box). All kidding aside this is an excellent set that adds a new dimension to the game, I look forward to some expanded lore regarding this faction.

       As far as the models go they are cast in the usual gray plastic with no flash and just the faintest of mold-lines. The detail on all surfaces is sharp. As with most Wargames Atlantic kits there are plenty of posing options and weapon choices and the suit of "Power Armor" captures the Steam/Diesel Punk ethos perfectly. The figures are reasonably proportioned (no enormous heads or hands) and the clothing fits well over the models with the details sharply cast and the flowing capes deeply molded, both of which will make painting a breeze. I do like that the models are all solidly standing on both feet with no "athletic" running poses teetering on one foot or oddly posed crouching figures, but that may just be my rather pedestrian tastes showing.

 

 

box front, some interesting painting ideas on offer 

Slow but steady progress on the Great Relocation Project

        I have been greatly remiss about keeping blog posts up to date, my apologies to anyone who misses my often semi-coherent ramblings. The great distraction of late has been the relocation of my library from the basement to a disused upstairs bedroom and the concurrent movement of the minis collection from the dark and crowded area around my furnace and water-heater into the now (gradually emptying) library space. This has required a LOT of sorting and organizing, both of which I am not particularly talented at. As a result the process has been nearly glacial. Today I reached the halfway point with the library and the quarter-way mark with the minis and thus a celebratory post! 

 

the previous occupant of the room left me with this garish color 

 

but several coats of flat green produced a much more calming shade 

 

 

the light-colored shelves hold the Osprey uniform collection 

and special interest books (forts, ships, and aircraft)

I should have thought to stain them (the shelves, not the books)

 to match the others before I loaded books into them

the long-term home for the boardgames is still open to debate 

 

 

the dark shelves hold my history books going from prehistory (far left upper corner) 

and then chronologically clock-wise through history, 

so far I've gotten as far as the Great War 

 

 

meanwhile, in the basement, the minis collection is enjoying their new brightly-lit environs

these to will go in a clockwise chronological order (at least that's the plan)

the use of standardized boxing has helped a lot 

 

 

the corners are the perfect location for rolled maps and gaming mats  

       This project has lead to a fair amount of soul-searching about what I have in the minis collection, as I am reminded that I have serious overlaps in scale and period (at one point I had ACW in 2mm, 5mm, 15mm, 20mm, 28mm and 54mm, simply madness!). I guess that after I get things sorted I will have to host another "Free Stuff for Wargamers" session.

Just when you thought it was safe to step outside and take a breath of fresh air...........Trench Crusade Sniper Priests

       In the dark and hazardous world of Trench Crusade there is the lurking threat of snipers. Not just your ordinary bloke with a scope and a steady trigger finger, divinely inspired priests that have given their lives (and eyesight) to taking out bad guys from extreme range and with extreme prejudice.

        Produced by Archon Studios in Poland for Factory Fortress Inc in California I got my copy through Michigan Toy Soldier in Royal Oak MI. Inside the box you will find one sprue and a set of bases. The minis are multi-part models that will assemble into two Sniper Priests. The models are superbly cast in a medium gray polystyrene that displays an immense amount of detail with a good selection of options as to weaponry. An idea just how detailed the models are can be gained from examining the twenty-three page assembly guide! Not to worry, if you have built a Lego set with their step-by-step instructions you will feel right at home.

 

 

evocative cover art gives a good idea for painting 

A little place in the country

       I just finished a commission piece from the Dungeon Artifacts collection. These are 3-D printed buildings (there is a bunch of other stuff too, their catalog is expansive) that are very well detailed and nicely characterful. They are easy to paint as the detail is crisp and deeply molded. I use a rattle-can primer and Americana water-based paint and get excellent results. A big plus is that these are FDM prints which means they are nearly as tough as a hockey puck and can survive a lot of rough handling.

 

Trying out a few things

 

 

I started painting this guy as a test of how well printed minis look

 

       I have heard a lot of complaints about how minis printed using the FDM  process turn out. Having just printed a batch of minis for The Housemartin I took the liberty of printing another to slap some paint on. I am using a stock Bambu A1 Mini with a .02mm tip and cheap filament from Micro Center. The mini was printed standing with the usual supports generated by the Bambu software. The mini was primed using a rattle-can of Krylon Matte White and painted using Americana paints from Hobby Lobby. I managed to snap off his staff while removing the supports but a spot of superglue set that to rights. My meager painting skills provided this look, no award winner but he will certainly be inspiring my Dark Ages troops. He could use some more highlights/shade and his gloves need a bit of refinement to be presentable. The mini come from the Cruciform Order set from Hollow Crown Miniatures.

Trench Crusade: Prussian Stosstruppen from Archon Studio

       Fresh off the press we have the latest iteration of Prussians to fight the forces of Evil. Prussian Stosstruppen, those brave warriors that charge into battle without a moments hesitation. This box was provided by the good folks at Michigan Toy Soldier who are currently carrying the full line of plastic and resin miniatures for these rules. This set is produced by Archon Studio out of Poland and is molded in a solid gray plastic with no trace of flash and only the faintest hint of a mold-line. The kit will assemble into five figures that can be equipped in a variety of ways. Assembly instructions (as well as free rules and mountains of lore) can be accessed via a QR code on the outside of the package, an idea that I wholly support. These will mix well, both in size and style, with the previously released Stosstruppen Warband.

 

the front of the box, they had me at the picklehaubs! 

More mucking about with 3D animation

        I spotted this over on the Louis the XIV blog where he commented on a picture-to-3D software. I was impressed with what he had on display so I gave Meshy a try and got this as a result!

 

a picture of a Swedish Dragoon from 1676 that I grabbed as a reference from a website, 

my apologies to the artist I cannot recall where I found it 

        This is an excellent bit of artwork and would make a nice model to 3D print so I gave it a go. I just uploaded the image to the software and I got this in under two minutes. It is a full 3D model that I can export to my Bambu Mini direct from the screen!

 

 

 https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/b8045b5bb1e1478ba648db89b8c39077

       I promptly started rummaging around through old files and found this magnificent looking lad that I turned into a 3D model (the best part is that the software is so powerful that I didn't need to edit out the background shrubberies!)

 

 https://www.meshy.ai/s/3zkCaA

 

here is a screenshot of the software in action, I loaded the piture using the window in the upper left, clicked om the  "Generate" button in the lower left and a minute later had a 3D model ready to send to my printer, this is going to be a lot of fun!

Trophies from Battlefields

        It is rare any more that I am in "acquisition mode". Having been in the hobby for over a half-century I just don't have much need to go hunting, that being said there are occasions where Life just throws you a slow one right down the center and you simply have to take a swing! I was presented with just such an occasion at Battlefields this last Saturday, a couple of opportunities that were just too good to let pass. Behold the booty I secured on the field of Battlefields!

 

as I was running my demo game of Midgard the Housemartin was perusing the Flea Market and spotted this assemblage, Turks, lots of them! and painted to boot! this bevy of 15mm beauties was offered at the princely sum of US$20 (the minis alone would cost thrice that to but as bare metal) I have been looking to add to my 15mm Turks so that they could play a more prominent role in my occasional Renaissance campaign, despite the need to re-base them I snagged these with unseemly haste
 

having finished my game and packing up my toys I took a spin around the Flea Market tables myself, I was delighted to find this little gem for only ten dollars, I have an interest in off the beaten track campaigns so this buttered both sides of my toast! the Manchurian Campaign between Japan and Russia AND the Second Sino-Japanese conflict with a digestif of the lopsided Russian riposte in 1945 to finish the volume

Battlefields 2026 21MARCH26

 

a game I ran a while back 

      One of the surest signs of Spring is the appearance on my calendar of the Battlefields Warming Convention. This year it will be hosted by the Pro-Or-Con guys on 21MAR26 at a new location. This is always a great convention with an impressive Flea Market and a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Sessions run from 9am-1pm, 2pm-6pm and 7pm-11pm and games run from skirmish-level actions to battalion sized games. Admission is a paltry $15.00, there is an on-site bar and a food truck will be in attendance with plenty of nearby restaurants. 

        You can find the full information and register on the Tabletop Events website. Better yet sign up to run a game. I will be running a Midgard game, I hope to see you there.

28mm Wargames Atlantic Operators

        When daring deeds need be done you call in your Special Forces Operators. In most cases these guys represent the end-product of incredibly intense and realistic training, seasoned with years of experience and provided with the very best equipment money can imagine (in other cases you have military corporation LARPers or Third World despots that buy stuff that "looks cool" but lack the training and discipline). Either way Wargames Atlantic has given you the plastic soldiers to accomplish your mission. 

       As we have come to expect from Wargames Atlantic the minis are cleanly cast in medium gray plastic with no flash and only the barest hint of mold-lines. On each of the four sprues you will find five minis; four standing and one kneeling. These are accompanied by a large selection of weapons and a superabundance of heads. The weapons are clearly defined and easily recognizable, I'm sure a few favorites have been left out but there is a good working sample.