"An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age." - Painting Challenge Submission #2

Star Wars: Legion does not have a model for Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, as he appeared in the original 'Star Wars' movie. 

Last year I purchased from Order66miniatures on Etsy three different 40mm size prints for that Old Fossil, all 3D sculpted by Madox 3D (Felipe Manivel). (This particular pose seems to be taken from the Star Wars: Rebels episode entitled "Twin Suns", when Ben finally defeated a half-prosthetic Darth Maul.) This year's Painting Challenge prompted me to finally get some paint on this figure.

Ben is a very nice print, with a dynamic pose, good anatomy (check out the face and those hands), and almost completely unnoticeable printing lines. I really like the flowing robes and tassels. I just used some brass wire for the lightsaber blade, instead of the resin one; I have real doubts about the separate resin blade holding up to gaming. I shaped the blade tip with a diamond dust file, which worked a treat on the soft metal.

I did my usual black priming with GW Chaos Black, and airbrushed zenithal highlights with Vallejo Dead White.  Face and hands were under painted in Vallejo acrylics, with details and blending in various artists' oils. 

I do have the book Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy, which has nice colour photos of Ben's costume.  I went with lighter values for his shirt, under tunic, and hooded robe, as opposed to the movie colours. Did some detailing with Payne’s Grey and Titanium White oils for the under tunic. Ben's brown robe was finished mostly with a few washes combining GW's Agrax Earthshade and Reikland Fleshade. I weathered his clothing, adding stains and little tears using artists' oils.

I have now painted 5 figures sculpted by Felipe, all taken from the original 'Star Wars' in 1977. Madox has a couple of Patreon pages,  illustrating his interests in both Space Wars and the Seven Years War. 

Scoring: 7 points for a 40mm figure (Darth Vader is over 45mm tall!), plus 20 bonus points for Death Star (Hubris). Hubris, thy name is Obi-wan Kenobi. Hubris to think he could properly train young Anakin, hubris to hold the the Jedi order's myopic worldview, and hubris to try and control the information that he provided to Luke. Plus, the Death Star is the location of Kenobi's final duel with his former padawan. Total = 27 points for this year's Challenge.

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Using Ben Kenobi in Star Wars: Legion

Star Wars: Legion only has rules for Obi-Wan Kenobi as a much younger man, representing him as a Jedi Master and General during the Clone Wars. The character's rules and command cards reflect this. I belong to an unofficial Star Wars Legion Custom Cards group on FB. Member Charlie Soden came up with some interesting cards to use Ben Kenobi during the Galactic Rebellion era, a generation after the events in the Clone Wars. Ben is less of a juggernaut in close combat, moving more slowly and inflicting less raw damage. Ben is still very much a master of defense, and is much more adept at using the Force, including the mysteries of becoming a Force ghost. (Note that there is a slight error in the character card below; Master of the Force: 2 allows the readying of 2 Force powers.)

  

Star Wars Legion Hoth Rebel Characters

You'll recall I said I wouldn't be picking up any Star Wars Legion stuff... yeah right. I'd ordered these three 3D-printed models off an ebay seller some time ago and they finally arrived last week (did I mention how much I hate the Global Shipping Program?). Anyway, they were quickly off to the paint shop.

First up, Luke Skywalker in his "patrol" outfit with lightsaber lit. I like the dynamic pose here and the Hoth outfit is super easy to paint in a combination of Rakarth Flesh, Zandri Desert, and Corax White. I tried to shade up the lightsaber a bit in Conscript Dave style.

Leather belts and holster are Mournfang Brown.

The model was an excellent print in resin with no lines and no flash. The saber was a little bent but straightened out OK in hot water.

Next up is Princess Leia. Another very straightforward paintjob in Corax White and Rakarth Flesh.

I did the normal groundwork and stippled on Rakarth Flesh paint as a base layer, followed by Corax White and snow flock applied with white glue.

The controversial Han Solo! Yes, I know that Han's parka was actually dark brown (it just presented as blue on film) but I LIKE the blue and it provides a nice contrast from the others' outfits.

Here are the models I've painted so far. The only drawback of the third-party prints is you don't get any cards or stats with 'em. Not that this matters so much, as I've never actually played the game (Dave is coming over to run it tonight) but I imagine that the cards can be printed out somewhere. I also have a notion that maybe these models might get used in a Bolt Action-type modded game, we'll see.

Meanwhile, maybe some Imperials next!

From the Challenge: "Who's the U-boat commander?" Porsche 928 for Gaslands

 

<<FROM THE ANALOGUE HOBBIES PAINTING CHALLENGE BLOG>>

A bit of a backtrack here... back to the Aquifer on the first level of the Dungeon. However, I hate painting boats... so I had to be a bit more creative in fulfilling the theme.

Everyone remembers the classic 1983 film "Risky Business", in which suburban straight-arrow high-schooler Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) cuts loose to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" and things go downhill from there... culminating in the classic scene of Joel's dad's Porsche 928 plunging into Lake Michigan. Watch the clip to the end... "who's the U-Boat commander?" indeed.

So there's the theme - aquatic Porsche 928. One of our group's favourite games pre-pandemic was Gaslands, and everybody has great fun converting Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars for combat. Should be easy to find a Hot Wheels or Matchbox 928, right? Wrong... although I had one as a kid, it's long gone, stores here can't sell toys in person, and I shudder to pay $20+ for one on eBay, not to mention the wait for it to arrive in the mail...

Enter "Mr. 3D Printer" Byron M to save the day! I found a 3D file online for free and sent it along to Byron, who shared it with his friend and fellow 3D printmaster Scott to tune up. And it did need a great deal of tuning up... in fact after Byron printed it up, he emailed me to say "you're going to have to buy a Hot Wheels car" as he didn't think it was salvageable. 

 

But as you can see, where there's a cheap financially responsible Scotsman, there's a way... it did take quite a bit of cleaning up, greenstuff wing mirrors, and some clever painting, but I think it's quite presentable.

The machineguns are from the excellent "Implements of Carnage" sprue from North Star.

I quite like how it turned out, especially as it completes a room that I struggled to find a project to suit. I'll take 30 points for this one - 10 for the car and 20 for the room bonus. It's a small car but did require quite a bit of work!

Big props and thanks to Byron and Scott for their work on the file, and to Byron for printing it for me. Cheers lads!

The 28mm Mandalorian: "The Child"

Once I had painted the Mandalorian for my Star Wars Miniature Battles collection, of course I needed to have The Child to accompany him. Master of all things 3D printed Conscript Byron kindly obliged by printing me several models at varying scales, just to see which painted up and looked the best.

 

I went for the biggest of the lot, because these models are tiny!

The little fella has some great detail though, especially on the bassinet. Even the interior of the crib is detailed.

I chipped up the outside a bit for somewhat of a worn look.

How cute is this little guy? Files for The Child are available pretty much anywhere you get print files for miniatures (so I'm told) and I'm really grateful to Byron for printing this one for me. Now the only thing left is to have a game... someday...

The 28mm Mandalorian

Knocked off a little painting a couple weeks ago... this 3D print of The Mandalorian, star of the eponymous Disney+ Star Wars TV show.

Conscript Dave V. had picked up the model online as a possible candidate to use with his Star Wars Legion collection. Unfortunately it's just a bit too small to fit well with the scale-creep 32mm figures produced for that game... which meant that he's just about right for my collection of true-28mm Wizards of the Coast "Star Wars Miniature Battles" figures.

As you can see, it's really a nicely designed model and painted up well. I'd never painted a 28mm 3D print before so I was a bit surprised by all of the "runners" that required cleanup, but most came off quite easily... except for the one that broke off his pistol. But that was easily fixed with superglue.

Here's "Mando" pictured with another dude in Mandalorian battle armour from the WotC lineup. Mando fits in great on his double-base - they're Warlord plastic bases left over from another project.

Like all of the models we've painted recently, we continue to wonder when we'll be able to get them out in a traditional tabletop game. It'll be especially fun to plan some scenarios for Mando, what with Imperial Stormtroopers, other bounty hunters, killer robots, and all sorts figuring into his TV adventures... I'll just need to scrounge a print of the Child to tag along with him!

Stay safe everyone!

Challenge Theme Submission - A Home in Hochland

10mm medieval home, courtesy of 3D printing by Byron!

The third bonus theme of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge was set for this past weekend.  The theme was "Terrain: Home", and I was expecting between my intense dislike of painting any kind of terrain, a travel schedule and the fact that I didn't really have anything to fit the theme that I would end up missing this theme round...that wouldn't be the end of the world, but would have been a bit of a bummer, as I have started to enjoy them. 

Enter Byron, who joined us for our Team Yankee game last week.  He handed me this model, which he created with a 3D printer.  He had noticed all the Warmaster stuff I had been painting in the Challenge, and thought it would go well with the Empire forces. Wow!

Empire commanders review the battle plan outside of their cottage in Hochland...

I don't know about 3D printers at all, or at least, I know enough to know that I should just stay away from them.  But this is an example of the sort of cool stuff you can get when clever folks get hold of devices like 3D printers.  This particular model had some odd texture here and there, but overall it's bloody amazing.  I think there is some kind of set of files out there for "medieval village" or something..? However that works, the explanation is best left to Byron.

Meanwhile, the wizard is out back practicing spells...maybe he shouldn't stand so close to the house?

I threw some colours associated with the Empire province of Hochland on the model, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! When the time comes for a Warmaster game, I look forward to placing this on the table as part of the action! A big "thank you" to Byron for this great little gift!

The Fokker Scourge

A few weeks ago I hosted the Thursday game, namely  the WWI air combat game, Wings of Glory (formerly Wings of War). Awhile ago, Ares Games finally released some new, early-war model planes for Wings of Glory. Among the pile of planes I bought were three Fokker E.III's. They were the first warplanes that had interrupter gear, allowing machine gun fire forward through the propeller. The exploits of the infamous "Eindecker" resulted in the titular Fokker Scourge, when the Germans gained air superiority over the Allies in the 1915-1916 time period.

This was an interesting period in the air war. The combatants flew a lot of pre-war aircraft designs, and were trying to figure things out for the first time. Artillery spotting and aerial photography had become important uses of this new technology. Aircrew started to carry rifles and pistols to pot shot each other. The impact of the Fokker E.III was maybe out of proportion to its relatively few numbers.

I wanted some suitable Fokker Fodder, so obvious period opponents for the German monoplanes would be some Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c's. This was a very stable airplane, great for observation and photography, but not optimal for aerial combat. However, I did not have the appropriate models or stats. I pressed into service a couple of Wings of War R.E.8's, using stats from the Wings of Glory Aerodrome site, namely:

• Maneuver Deck: P
• Damage Type: optional single rear-facing B gun
• Damage Points: 11

The bases of the British planes in this scenario were after-market items purchased from Keith at Aerodrome Accessories. He provides great customer service - there had been a slight error in one item in my order, and Keith immediately rectified it.

Game One: Bombing Raid, 1915

The first game we played was a plausible 1915 scenario: a single-seat B.E.2c, unarmed except for its bomb load, escorted to its target by a two-seater variant, armed with a single rear-facing Lewis gun (the British had not yet developed interrupter gear).

Below, Conscripts Bill and Brian flew the British aircraft.
(Note: Click on the photos for larger images.)



Meanwhile, Conscripts Frederick and Kevin flew the Germans.



Below, looking north, the British aircraft nearest the camera is the bomber, run by Bill. His escort, run by Brian, lies a little ways to the north. To the east are the two Eindeckers run, respectively, by Frederick and Kevin.



The initial stages of the game saw Bill angle northeast to line up on the target to the east, while Kevin flew in a wide circle to the south, hoping to eventually get on Bill's 6 o'clock.



Brian, in a brilliant bit of compensatory flying against superior aircraft, maneouvered to get his tail gun to bear on Frederick's green plane.



Bill slipped between the Germans...



...much to Brian's amusement



Bill lined up his bomb run, managing to drop his stick of primitive aerial bombs right on target.



As Bill circled wide northwards and headed home, Brian mixed it up with the Germans.



Kevin and Frederick went after Bill's plane to try and  exact some revenge.



But Frederick's single machine gun jammed as he tried a deflection shot.



Again, the British were much amused by this.



Brian bird-dogged back to protect the unarmed bomber.





Brian took some hits after Frederick unjammed his gun.



Kevin also got in some licks against Brian's plane.



The British planes reached their own lines, whereupon the Germans broke off their pursuit. Brian revealed that his aircraft had only one damage point left. Heroic, indeed!



Game Two: Dogfight, 1916

Wings of Glory plays very quickly, so we decided to have another game, a three-on-three dogfight between scout planes. The Airco D.H.2 was a pusher plane, with the engine and propeller behind the pilot, so its single gun could fire forward unimpeded.

To the west are three British D.H.2s, run, respectively, by myself, Bill, and Brian. To the east are a flight of three Eindeckers, two run by Frederick, and one by Kevin.



In a head-on pass Bill set Frederick's green Fokker on fire.



The two flights flew past each other, and maneuvered to try and bring their weapons to bear.





The flames proved too much for the green German machine, which crashed in No-Man's Land.



Frederick's other plane immediately thereafter exacted some revenge, shooting down Bill's plane after a few  long bursts.



Kevin managed to set Brian's plane on fire with a long-range shot.



Brian scored hits on Frederick's plane, causing it to belch forth smoke.



After some maneuvering, Frederick got Brian in his sights again...



...and shot him down in No-Man's land.



I managed to Immelmann around and get a burst into Frederick's Fokker, which proved too much for his damaged airframe, and he went down.



Kevin and I then got into a turning fight near the western table edge.





I managed to survive a close-range burst from Kevin's gun.



Kevin, out of room to maneuver,  flew off the western (Allied!) table edge into captivity!



3D models: The wave of the future?

Soon after game night, I ordered a pair of B.E.2c models, 3D prints, from Shapeways. They were shipped out and arrived on my doorstep very quickly.

They are neat little one-piece models, as can be seen in the photos below.



I am glad I do not have to fiddle with and maintain the required forward-swept angle of all those struts.

The propeller was rendered as part of the wing. Some minor cleanup and assembly, and they will be ready for paint.



I am thinking 1915-era schemes, with a buff coloured canvas dope and early-war roundels. Check out a video of a couple of flying B.E.2s, here.

I would also like to run a scenario re-enacting Lanoe Hawker's single-handed 1915 raid on a Zeppelin base, flying a B.E.2c armed only with bombs and hand grenades.