Preparing for the Long Campaign

After many months of work, school and other oddities of life keeping my away, I am finally returning to the gaming table. In my absence, many of the guys here at Remote Presence (Morgrim, Lo Pan and TimW) have been preparing for the 40K Team Tournament at Adepticon. I gave up 40K last year, but if you see them in Chicago, be sure to say hello and buy them drinks!

Starting in May, four of us will be cracking open those Campaign: Paradiso books to start what Corvus Belli terms a Long Campaign. Anyone who has the book has probably read through one or two of the scenarios, and possibly even tried to play a campaign. If they are anything like me, players may have some difficulty delving into the campaign and scenarios. They are somewhat dense and hard to decipher thoroughly. Over these next few weeks, I will try to give my best rendition of how campaigns and scenarios are meant to work.

A campaign needs a minimum of four players, and I think exactly four makes the numbers work out well. Unfortunately, this doesn’t allow for any flexibility – if one player gets sick or doesn’t show up, it kind of messes up the entire flow of the campaign. Players face off in scenarios, which have a variety of setups and objectives, which I will discuss in future posts. Each player chooses a faction, and they can build lists from any sectorial from that faction for that mission.

In this post, I will discuss the Control Screens (available for viewing here), Spec-Ops, Command Experience and Promotion Tests.

Spec-Ops

The Spec-Ops model starts off as one of your basic line troops. There’s a table available in the book for reference. You purchase this model into your army just like you would for that line troop – i.e. if I was playing Ariadna and I wanted a Spec-Ops, I would use the points cost and SWC of a Line Kazak (9 points, 0 SWC). He would then start with the stats of a Line Kazak.

What differentiates him is that you may spend experience points (XP) to level him up, either by adding to his attributes or by buying equipment or skills for him (the XP costs for any of these bonuses are listed in the book). You obviously keep track of them on the Spec-Ops Control Screen.

Now, what happens if your Spec-Ops goes unconscious or dies? We’ll get to that later on.

Command Experience

Another way to spend experience points is listed in the Command and Control Screen (C2). As you gain XP, you may purchase an advancement from one AND ONLY ONE military specialty. This means at the start of the campaign, I must choose the military specialty I’m going to advance in and I will only be able to buy advancements from that specialty. Also, as you purchase command experience, you must purchase the level before it, and you cannot purchase a level more than once. All of this is pretty standard, with the exception of the ONLY ONE military specialty.

Now, there is one way of gaining more than one military specialty, and that is to get promoted.

Promotion Tests

With the release of Campaign: Paradiso, there was this limited edition figurine that was released – Go-Go Marlene, who was supposed to be a journalist (the only one currently available in the miniature range). “This seems silly,” you may have thought, “Why do I need a journalist in my list?” This is why – getting promoted. After each game, the player may make a promotion test. This is a pretty hard test to make generally, but having a journalist gives you a +3 bonus to promotions. For each promotion you earn, you gain one extra military specialty you may access. However, as you get promoted, it becomes harder to get promoted.

As you can see from the Promotion Control Screen, you can calculate the value you would need to roll. If I’m an Ariadna player, I would start with 1. If I won my last game, I would add 3. If I had a surviving journalist, I would add another 3. If I had no other benefits, I would need to roll a 7 or below in order to be promoted to Level 1. No bonuses for critical hits, guys. Sorry.

Putting It All Together

At the end of each scenario, you follow a strict 8-step path.

1.       Write down whether you won or lost on the “Mission Control Screen”

2.       Write down the number of XP you earned this round, which equals the number of objective points you obtained. By the way, the game ends when all the troops of one army are immobilized, unconscious, dead, sepsorized, or possessed. This means, even if you’re the winner, you won’t have a chance to gain more XP after that point, so be aware!

3.       Write down whether you have a surviving journalist. You only get one +3 bonus, even if you have more than one surviving journalist.

4.       Write down the Surviving Troops Value, which is the points value for all troops still alive and conscious.

5.       Make a promotions test, using the formula explained above.

6.       If your Spec-Ops is unconscious (not dead) at the end of the game, make a MEDAVAC test. This requires rolling a specific value, as defined in the book on p. 173.

7.       If your Spec-Ops has a cube and either (a) you failed your MEDAVAC test or (b) your Spec-Ops is dead, you may make a CUBEVAC test. This requires rolling a different value, also defined in the book on p. 173.*

8.       Distribute XP across either command experience or your Spec-Ops as you see fit.

* If your Spec-Ops fails the CUBEVAC test, or does not have a cube, the Spec-Ops is dead. You can purchase a new one, but they start off as a basic line troop once again, without any special equipment or skills.

I hope this has helped to illuminate the rather daunting Control Screens printout available at the Infinity website. As I mentioned, we will be discussing various scenarios in the coming months. I look forward to playing some Infinity once again.

Girls Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Warhammer

OK, so this isn't Infinity related, per se, but I laughed out loud and thus decided to share.

Girls Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Warhammer

Product Review: Future Cars

"Where are my Flying Cars?"

I got your flying cars... right here. Since using oversized Matchbox toys wasn't really quite my style, I spent a fair amount of time looking online for alternatives. The first option to show up in my search eventually wound up being the one I went with. So without further ado, I give you a very quick product review of two vehicles from Antenocitis Workshop.

"Future Car"

The Future Car kit is composed of only 4 parts... three of which are not particularly essential. The car body is cast in one solid hunk of resin and could be put to work exactly as is without adding any of the other parts. However, if you want to put rear-view mirrors or a spoiler on your future car- the parts are included.


Detail is very good for a one-piece casting. The panel lines are a tad heavy for the scale, but for wargaming use it is not unusual. The resin is firm but not brittle. It carves easily, though there isn't much call for trimming. There are only two or three voids in the casting that will be easy to fill. Quality is consistently good. I can say that because I went out on a limb, splurged, and ordered about ten cars (total, both types) and found them all to be well done- an indicator of good quality control.


Prior to painting, the car will need some light sanding to even out the surfaces. I haven't decided if these cars will get glossy finishes or not, but either way they will benefit from the application of Mr. Surfacer primer to help even things out prior to painting.

"Flying Car with Decals"

A Spinner, by any other name... Six major components, a bunch of smaller greeblies for vents and (optional) police lights, and a decal sheet. The resin and casting quality is similar to the Future Car (above), so I won't repeat myself. The resin and casting quality is similar to the Future Car (above), so I... uh...


The decal sheet is sweet. Nicely printed with fine detail. I haven't had a chance to build this car yet, so I can't say how well the decals react to water or setting solutions. I'm not worried- if I can make decals on my printer at home, I'm sure these will be fine. Also, since the sheet has white ink, it means that more likely than not Antenocitis used an Alps printer which is rock solid.

Unlike the Future Car, the Spinner does require some assembly. The lower fuselage is cast separately from the upper cabin. The mating surfaces will have to be sanded flush. Not a major undertaking, but something to be aware of. It looks like the forward wheels were cast in the "flying position". If you want to show them in the "ground" position, you'll have to do a lot of work. This is not a ding against the product- you wouldn't really know the difference between the two modes unless you spent a lot of time looking at Blade Runner concept art or just watching the movie.


The only real criticism I have of this kit is that there are no directions for assembly. Granted, the basic assembly is fairly obvious, even if you only look at the photo included on the (very nice) packaging, but the police lights may prove to be problematic. The Antenocitis website only has one photo of the police version of this vehicle. As a result, assembly and proper placement of the smaller greeblies will require a bit of research and/or guesswork.

Conclusion:

Worth it? Yes.

At £8.5 ($13) for the Future Car and £11.5 ($18) for the Spinner, these kits are reasonably priced. However, as a customer not living in the UK, I was not charged the VAT, so that brought the cost per kit down to about £9.5 ($15) and £7 ($11). Even though I ordered quite a few of these cars, it only takes an order of 2 or 3 kits to qualify for free shipping (UK or International).

Once I get around to these guys, they'll look good on the board and provide some nice LOS blocking terrain.

Terrain Project: Techno-crates 2

So this project was a bit larger than my usual attempts at scratch-building. Not only did I start from the ground up, but I went ahead with the intention of making copies. The first step after completing the master template was to create a mold.

The first attempt, though serviceable, was over-engineered. The Monster was huge, robust, but it didn't capture as much detail as I wanted. Eventually I couldn't resist the temptation to create a second mold. The Bride was was smaller, economical, and captured all the detail I wanted.

Sticking with my intent to reduce the amount of work necessary to cast the copies, I made this a "hollow" mold. The bottom of the cast is empty due to the large plug that creates the internal space. This reduced weight and the amount of resin needed per unit. It did cause a few problems, most notably air bubbles and resin voids along the bottom. The Monster had bigger voids, so I added more vents to the Bride. This seemed to alleviate most problems.

Detail capture is excellent on all sides, even picking up some smaller scribed panel lines and rivet holes. There were a few bubbles in the mold in the upper corners of the window frames that still catch a tiny bit of resin, but they pop out with the help of a chisel xacto.

Again, a bit of clean up will be required around the bottom edges, but these were never intended to be used "in the round". Sure, they can be, if we want to add a simple sheet of styrene fitted to shape. Should be easy enough, but it would be flat and won't have the same detail present on the rest of the piece. Frankly, I'm not concerned about it at all.

Very pleased with the capture of the holes in the roof grating plates. VERY pleased. As of now, I'm able to cast fairly quickly, since the Bride was more well engineered than the Monster, and she should last a while longer. The Monster might be pressed back into service for use with Dental Stone at some point, but for now it's all resin. The RM investors will be getting their copies next gaming night. I do expect to be able to make a few extras for sale via this site sometime in the near future. Probably looking at about $18 per unit. These are resin beasts. When I'm at that point, I'll make a proper post with more detailed photos, dimensions, etc..

Terrain Project: Techno-crates

or: "I'll try to contain myself"

I think it's safe to say everybody who is in to Infinity got in to it to a large degree because of the awesome visual designs. I love how it recalls the style of Japanese anime. While Corvus Belli has some great miniatures, they don't have any terrain. Other game systems do, but the Infinity players have to find what they can from other sources. Micro Art Studio has purpose-built pieces, for example, but there are plenty of manufacturers out there. One generic source of terrain is papercraft. Recently we started using papercraft to bulk out our tables, and one of my favorites is this sci-fi looking shipping container.


Using this container as a template, I went ahead and built up a 3d version using styrene sheets and tubes. The whole process took about two weeks worth of modeling during the evenings. More than I expected, but worth it (so far). This is my first full scratch-build, so it has been a learning experience. For example, I've learned that drilling 1,144 holes in a 2"x4" sheet of plastic is a sure way to court madness.



The rest of the RM guys have opted to assist with the financial aspect of the next phase of the project: Makin' copies. This weekend I ordered casting supplies, and I hope to be able to get to work on that aspect shortly.

Container Buildings Showcase

or "But WAIT- there's more!"

Once all the buildings were done, I realized that there really should be some form of external traverse, so it was off to the hobby store to pick up some Plastruct ladders and stairs. You can see in the photos that there are three different lengths in order to be more useful.


Rather than make the ladders permanent, I carved out "hooks" from styrene sheet, making the ladders much like what you'd see on a large motor boat. They're removable and slide on and off the roof top ledges very easily. I'll probably paint them, eventually.


At the Home Depot one afternoon, I decided to check out the plumbing isle. They have a large number of metal and PVC fittings that have terrain potential. I picked up a pair of PVC pipe end-caps for about $3.50 each. Once painted and given a bit of greeblie plumbing, they look quite good. Also, they're very sturdy.


In order to not lose my mind entirely, I asked OSH if he'd be willing to paint up the wall sections that I'd built earlier. He agreed, so I whisked them up to his place on the weekend. There are close to 25 segments, but it should be an easy job. As fate would have it, he managed to snag a very large painting comission the next day, so the walls will wait.


To add more color, I ordered some transparent flurorescent acrylic sheets for use as holo-boards and force-field walls. I'll post those next time.

Container Buildings Completed

or "I'm not dead yet"

So four months have passed sice I posted progress pics of the g*ddamn buildings I've been working on for my own collection and for the NOVA Open Infinity gaming. Personally, I am pleased with the results, but I am just about burned out on terrain. The first 3 were very entertaining, the next 3 were fun, but by the 18th it was getting annoying. And the walls? Don't even get me started on the walls. You know how some things "drive you up the wall"? Yeah- I had to build my own walls for that. As for the driving, I ponied up for some cars from Antenocitis, but that's for another post.

After staring at the originals, I decided that the tan colors lacked visual interest, so I re-masked the windows and misted over the base coat with a lighter color. Still unsatisfied, I added additional masks of squares and rectangles to creat various panel effects.

OSH and I had a terrain day that helped hammer out the 8 units for the NOVA Open. He got to play with his new airbrush, and that allowed us to add even more color variations. Still in the tan-to-gray palette, though.

After all the paint was dry, I penciled on a single mid-hight horizontal line on every unit, then slapped on a few stickers (posters, corporate logos, etc.) and custom decals (building numbers) printed out on an inkjet printer.

Terrain: Habitat and Office Block

Or “Windows? OMG! They have windows!”

UPDATE: I've uploaded a PDF file for blank windows and doors that can be used for masking templates and filled windows and doors which have blue gradient fills and can be used as basic stickers.

Since moving from one milieu to another often entails a change of scenery (ha ha), I felt that the usual Ruins just wouldn’t cut it for Infinity. To remedy the situation, I started making some nice clean walls. What good, though, are walls if you don’t have something to put them around? Here’s my answer:

Always looking for cheap terrain options, I found some 8”x5” acrylic boxes at the Container Store near my office. They were on sale for about $3 each, so I snagged six of them and decided to create some intact buildings. With complete walls. And windows. So totally not 40k.


The first step was to invert the lid and box, then superglue the two parts together. This means that the top of the box is now the bottom, and the upended lid is now the roof. In one move I created a taller building with a slight railing around perimeter of the roof.

The second step was to add some sort of dividing structure in the middle of the long walls. In my example, sheet styrene runs vertically and is then capped by a length of half-round rod. I had to remove two-inch lengths of the lip (now at ground level) under the original lid in order to make room for eventual door placement.


The next step was to create a simple Adobe Illustrator file for windows and doors which was then printed on to self-adhesive label paper (about $1.50 per sheet from Staples). Once printed, I cut out the windows and doors, scored around the curved corners of the windows with a very sharp knife, then stuck the windows on the boxes. The idea was to use the windows as masks for the forthcoming spray paint. When I had all the windows attached, I finished scoring the outlines of the windows. The partial scoring was done before placement so I could get the control needed to follow the curves. This also allowed me to not have to worry about the windows coming completely apart as I peeled them off the backing paper.

I spray painted the exterior of the boxes with Rustoleum Fossil, then added some highlights with Gloss Almond. When the paint was dry, I added the stickers for the doors. Once the doors were securely attached, I hit the whole thing with dullcoat to both kill the gloss and protect the finish.


The final step was to go back and remove the windows/masks. This was tricky, since I only wanted to remove the “glass” parts that I had scored earlier, yet still leave the window frame attached to the box. It was a good idea, but in practice the stickers came off very slowly and left a LOT of adhesive behind. I managed to use rolled up duct tape to essentially remove adhesive with adhesive, but it took a long time. Fortunately, I had MST3K to keep me occupied. When the last traces of adhesive were tacked up, I went back with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol for a final cleaning.

The units are stackable, and look good for tabletop use. You can see through the windows, and that means we can declare them as open LOS, obscured LOS, or no LOS. I may hit the units with highlights later on, but I’m going to have to get the adhesives out from under my fingernails first.

Terrain: Walls (pt 2)

or, "Mr. Gorbachev, put up this wall!"

The RM crew has been a bit busy lately, doing life stuffs, so I felt now would be a good time for a quick update on the progress on my cheapo walls.


Rather than leave well enough alone, I went ahead and added some extra detail. Keeping with the theme of "cheap" and "easy to obtain materials", I went with staples and plastic self-adhesive "gemstones". The staples became ladder rungs, and the gems became (or rather, will become, once painted) light fixtures. The 78 piece pack of gems cost just over a buck fifty at the local craft store, and the staples cost $34 each and were hand crafted in Poland and imported via the Russian Mafia. Not. Do yourself a favor- when you gather the staples, just shoot them out of the stapler one at a time into a bag or folded sheet of paper or something like that. Don't take the block of staples home to pry apart by hand later.


I used Rustoleum 2x Satin Fossil spray paint as both primer and base coat for these wall sections. Eventually I'll go over them again with an air-brushed coat of off-white, detail painting for the lights, and maybe some graffiti.


Though the walls aren't yet finished, I'm already starting on my next terrain project- modular office/apartment blocks constructed from postcards, rubber cement, old coffee grounds, toothpicks, and green peas soaked in water.

Yu Jing Tutorialoject Terrain

This week, we'll learn how to make Plutonium out of common household items. No, wait... that's from UHF.

This week, we'll look at the progress I've made on an idea that has been bouncing around my noggin for a while now: cheap Infinity walls. Look- we all know that when it comes down to it our tabletop wargaming hobby is all about cost vs. time. Most hobbies do. In other words, do you have the money to buy what you can't spend the time to build, or do you have enough time to build what you can't afford. Or something in between. It's an odd sort of balancing act. In my case, I probably could afford to buy a lot of the aftermarket parts for models and wargaming projects (dear God, somebody please stop me...), but sometimes I just want to brush up on my scratchbuilding skills. Or, as my long time friends would say, I'm a cheap bastard. Whatever.

Anyway, this is the latest attempt to mass-produce some terrain for a gaming system I play. This time I think I may have hit upon success. These wall segments are loseley based on a type of resin wall section available from a European source, which shall remain nameless (but will get my business for other stuffs soon enough). I like how their product looks, but I don't really want to spend the equivalent of $24 per foot. My solution? Here are the basics:


Materials:
Primed Pine Case Moulding $1.14/ft
Vinyl Electrical Tape (3/4in x 60ft) $1
Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler $2
Gray Spray Paint $5
Gorilla Glue $5
Elmer's Wood Glue $5
Sandpaper $1

Tools:
Plastic Miter Box $5
Fine tooth Miter Saw $10

The process is simple. Measure out lengths of moulding about 13" long and Gorilla glue together pairs back to back. Make sure they're securely clamped together. Wait at least 3 hours. Cut the lengths of moulding down to 4" segments (or whatever you prefer). If you want to get fancy, you can make 45 degree cuts and create corner pieces. Once you've cut the lenghts to size, fill any seams with the wood filler. When that's dry, sand it down smooth and clean up the wall segments with a damp cloth to remove dust. Take the vinyl tape and add vertical relief details. I doubled up the tape on mine to increase the height of the relief. Final step is to paint the walls with gray spray paint as primer.


Before I paint these sections, I'm going to add a bit of extra detail- maybe some piping or lamps. The next set I build will try to emulate force-field walls and holo-displays. Those elements will add to the cost and complexity, but I'm game.

Hobby Tutorial: Celestial Guard (part 2)

or "It’s over. Prime”

A relatively small post here, but I’ve been busywith the NOVA Open and subsequent recovery thereafter. Having been an Army Appearance Judge over the weekend, I’ve realized that my own stuff isn’t up to par. How’s that for a kick in the pants? Anyway, since part one of this tutorial I’ve been otherwise occupied and in my free time have been determinedly plowing ahead with the “completion” of my Ultramarine vehicles. The only progress made on the Celestial Guard has been priming.


I could have waited a while longer to post, but since it has been well over a week, I figured now would be a good time. Also, the weekend at the NOVA Open and a quick trip to the local Penn Camera finally convinced me that my Nikon CoolPix 950 is a dinosaur and needs replacement, ergo, no photos for at least 2 weeks. Even with a lightbox and tripod, it’s a pain in the butt to get any decent photos. Here’s a close up of my Sniper. You can see that the prime coat is not 100% perfect, but does cover the majority of the figure without obscuring the fine details.


Over the years I’ve used several varieties of primer and have narrowed it down to a few reliable types: Armory (white or black), Tamiya (white or gray), Mr. Surfacer (500 or 1000), and Floquil. I only use Armory on wargaming miniatures because the can is relatively large and relatively cheap compared to the other options I’ve listed. If I’m working with resin figures, I’ll usually hit it with the Mr. Surfacer because that brand is a self-leveling primer that does a great job filling small file marks and scratches that resin kits tend to be prone to. Tamiya, though good, is rather expensive for the quantity you get, and as a result I usually only use it on my regular scale models. Same for Floquil, although I have found that it provides the best adhesion to metals (white metal, brass, steel, or otherwise).

The other reason I’m posting now is because I have just been reminded of Why Not To Paint In Highly Humid Conditions. Now, not everybody primes their models before laying down the first layer of color, and I’m happy for you and Imma let you finish*, but for tabletop wargaming it’s a really good idea to prime your metal and resin figures, and IMHO if you are going to do it for those you might as well do it for the plastics as well.

So here’s my personal observation of the day regarding humidity: If it feels sticky outside, don’t spray paint, prime, or airbrush, or dull coat, or gloss coat, or anything. Don’t. If you do, you will wind up with some sort of terrible frosting nastiness that will ruin your work thus far, create terrible discord within your own humors, and allow pure evil to seep into the world unchecked. Do I exaggerate? Well, yes, but that’s not the point. The last thing you want to do is ruin the finish on 20 tactical marines, or a 5-man Celestial Guard squad that you spent weeks painting. Folks, it only takes 2 seconds to make this mistake. Do yourself a favor… think before you spray. Fortunately for me, I only messed up one vehicle, and usually a second coat of sealer will clear up the problem**

When I started dull coating this morning, the humidity was only in the mid 40% range. When I painted the final vehicle later in the evening, the humidity had almost hit 70%. I knew it had gotten worse out, but I didn’t think, and now I have to wait until both the model and the weather dries out a bit.

When priming (or using any sort of spray paint) there are other things to take in to consideration. For example- always shake the spray can vigorously and for at least a minute to make sure you’ve thoroughly mixed the contents. If you haven’t, you might have solvent shoot out and ruin your model, or have some sort of half-mixed watery mess spew forth. Also, be aware of the distance between the spray can and model. If you are too close, you’ll get too much paint on the model and the paint will start to run. If you are too far away, the paint may start to dry before hitting the model. This will cause a pebbling effect… the surface will look sandy. If you’re lucky, you can “dust” off the offending pebbles. Another nasty effect is known as “orange peeling”, and that’s where the paint refuses to adhere to the model and forms a very uneven surface, often with visible gaps. This happens because the surface of the model hasn’t been properly cleaned of dirt, oils (from handling), solvents or glue (from assembly), or mold release (for resin kits) and the paint just wont’ stick. If you are really unfortunately, you’ll have to either sand off the bad paint or strip the model and start all over again (as me why my Ultramarine tanks all have sparkly instead of smooth cannons…).

So, before you prime your model- make sure that you’ve completely cleaned and prepped your model (soap and water, denatured alcohol, plastic prep…), the spray can has been properly agitated (shaken, not stirred), the atmospheric conditions are correct (as dry as possible and no wind if you are outside), there is proper ventilation (respirator mask, ducted fans, spray booth, or open air), you have proper eye protection, and are not in a rush.


*this is both a pop-culture joke AND a modeling joke rolled into a double entendre, so it’s like a triple word score.

**this is another double entendre, as the chemicals of the fresh dull coat will immediately react to the earlier coat and sort of re-activate the initial coat and hopefully reduce, if not totally eliminate, the frosting effect.

Hobby Tutorial: Celestial Guard (part 1)

or "how to build an army and rule the universe from beyond the grave!"

I’ve only been playing Infinity for about 3 months now. The first step was to acquire enough models to field a decent sized combat group. The look of Yu Jing appealed to me. I really liked how the designs reflected the artwork of Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Dominion, etc.), and since the Imperial Service had a good variety in the starter box, that’s the way I went. Adding a box of Kuang Shi gave me just enough guys to field a strong starter force. That being said, I have found enough enjoyment in the game to add some reinforcements. I’ll be posting a multi-part tutorial covering the preparation, assembly, and painting of my Celestial Guard.



Why the C-Guard? I already have three from the ISSA box, but wanted to add heavy weapons and a Kuang Shi controller. From my perspective, I’m limited to a pre-existing color scheme, but the techniques I’ll be going over are universal.



The first thing to recognize about the Infinity figures is that they are gorgeous. Having played 40k for many years I had grown used to the Games Workshop style of metal miniatures. Corvus Belli minis are much more delicate and refined and seem to have as much, if not more, detail than many other 28mm figures on the market. They’re also extremely well cast. So well, in fact, that most pieces can be cleaned up with a quick pass of a new hobby blade and a few swipes with fine grained sandpaper (I like 320 grit wet-or-dry from K&S engineering). In rare cases, a file might be needed. Word of advice- use files that you've dedicated to working with metal, since the softer metals will gum up the files very quickly. Also, metals will dull the blades of hobby knives much faster than plastic will, so have plenty of new blades on hand. Of all the figures I’ve put together thus far only the Yaokong remotes had noticeable mold lines/offsets. You will have to be careful at this point- for the painting techniques I’ll be discussing, any pour stubs or mold lines that aren’t cleaned up prior to priming will become problematic blemishes on your paint job.



Once you’ve cleaned up the figure, you can assemble it in whatever sequence feels most comfortable to you, although I have attached the body to the base first in most cases, followed by any other pieces. For a tighter fit into the “slotta” bases, I have wedged small blobs of Green Stuff. This not only further secures the figure, but also plugs any open gaps in the base.



The delicate nature of the models means that most parts are very light, yet the excellent engineering of the parts breakdown means that you will not want for sufficient mating surfaces for your glue. Pinning is not necessary for infantry figures. You could pin larger TAG models if you want. The key to a decent bond is to make sure the attachment points are clean. I use isopropyl alcohol to rub down the model before I attach the parts with a drop of super glue. Instead of a special plastic flow applicator, I just use a short length of polished brass rod to apply tiny drops of glue at precise locations. Don’t rush this part of the process. Actually, don’t rush ANY part- if you become impatient, you’ll regret it later. Let the glue cure for several hours, overnight if you can. Another word of advice- wear some sort of eye protection. I've been building models for a long time and have had more than my fair share of trips to the ER in order to get various foreign objects out of my eyes. Most recently it was super glue, but that's another story...


I like to get my models stuck into the bases before adding any base details, but it's up to you. For my Infinity figures, I felt that a more techno-urban motif would be appropriate, so I dove into my bits box and pulled out a sheet of tiled styrene and fine ballast. I cut the styrene into irregular blocks and arranged them on the various bases, skirting the feet of the models but also covering much of the exposed slots. Don't be afraid to break the plane of the base and let the basing details hang over the edge. It's your model. Go crazy.

In the mean time, is this a possible future venue for tabletop wargaming fans?

…to be continued.