Making the Bambu Mini pay for itself UPDATED

       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.