Progress photos - WW2 Soviet Naval Infantry... to follow check back on this page

'Finished' Soviet Naval Infantry…

I promised myself I would have these samples finished painting before the Kickstarter ended, well I'm finished… apart from: Faces/skin, eyes, hair, hats, any highlighting whatsoever, bases and detailing. (sad face)

Proof that time, tide, and Kickstarter wait for no man, hopefully they still show off the minis themselves and inspire just a little.
Get it while you can, only a few hours left.

Flank March Miniatures
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flankmarch/black-death

PS not a paid promotion I just love this guys stuff and was inspired when Dan and I interviewed him on Valhalla Games podcast. Ill put the paint recipe up here when I'm done.

Finished photos and Dan's efforts to follow...

Share your progress?

Ancient olive trees, the final result (well, enough for the event tomorrow at least) I'm pretty pleased with these I sculpted the bases on the bottom of the trees along with the rocks (the centre one is by games workshop for comparison) and made the all flock from scratch. I have also finally worked out how to glue the flock on in a way that it will stay!

Here is more on the construction process: https://youtu.be/mzXmLBeq3lA

I needed some pretty specific trees in a hurry and the manufacturer the we used last time has gone out of business, so... here we go!

Rex's 2023 hobby goals status update. OK 3 weeks off with an ear infection didn't help my cause but I'm back now and that March 18 deadline is fast approaching.

Dan, give us an update on yours? fiends of Valhalla Games feel free to share your own goals for 2023. Your not going to achieve goals if you don't set any!*

*So long as goal setting is fun for you and a good way to motivate yourself.

Join Dan and Rex as they go on a rambling journey that somehow turns up a whole heap of nuggets talking about:

- Italian Campaign 80th Ann. Campaign Day Sydney Australia
- Hobby Goals for 2023
- Storage space for your hobby kits and a solution to maximize it
- Display solutions for your collections
...and a heap more! 

Subscribe in your podcast by searching for Valhalla Games or click on the image below to listen in the web player.

New year, new Bolt Action army for Rex. A quick look at my new (slightly used) army that I got in the post a couple of days ago.

What are your new years wargame army aspirations? Let us know in the comments.  

This is where I keep all my fully painted minis... :-)

Seriously though this is my new [used] display cabinet. 

Apart from the false start with another one that didn't fit and the glass door breakage carnage, and the removal of noticeboards from the wall carnage which required a fill and full wall repaint and apart from all the masking and respraying of the slightly chipped black bits, it was an easy job. Only lights and top and bottom boards to be replaced, and new doors.

All that aside I'm looking forward to getting some minis out of boxes and putting them on display after 5 plus years of... 'negotiation' for the space. Its also bigger than it looks 600mm wide and 2100 high, industrial strength for lots of lead.

I have found an interesting bit of software for modifying 3D files. Its both powerful and intuitive for your average wargamer who really just wants to get the job done so he/she can get back to rolling dice.

SelfCAD (https://www.selfcad.com/) is a Freemium product that you can use to edit your 3D print files make changes, damage things, erase parts, join things together, split things, add pins etc. There is one caveat however, and that that is the Freemium product doesn't do all of the things mentioned above, you have to get the paid version, either on a monthly subscription or a one time purchase.

In the past I have used tinker-cad (https://www.tinkercad.com/) which is great especially for creating things from scratch but as soon as there is texture in the STL files they are too big to be edited in tinker-cad.

Consider the following 3D building, it looks good and prints 'ok' (not well but OK). Once its printed removing from the print bed becomes a major problem. Because the portico has no floor the leverage when removing each of the print bed contact points the leverage on the areas marked with arrows means that its going to snap 95 times out of 100.

​The following modified model has had a section of floor duplicated from the centrer of the building, trimmed, and added to the portico joining the columns etc to the main floor therefore removing most of the leverage on the breakable parts and reinforcing the whole section. It prints better as well.

Final note, this is a wargaming blog not a 3D printing blog, if you would rather see less of this content (or more?) let us know in the comments below.

I have been accused before of other thinking and over planning things and yes that is often true. But sometimes I even surprise myself! Someone asked for plans for the Italian foam building I made for Dan and put up on YouTube back in 2020 (here), you know, the good old days before pandemics etc.

I was half way though typing out a reply to say don't be silly no one would be that... [insert your preferred word here] :-) but then I went for a look and found this... (image bellow). To be fair I did "wing it" first then measure and document afterwards so in this instance I didn't over plan, perhaps that why it got finished.

[Newsflash, we are giving away these STLs for free. Get them here:

https://www.valhallagames.net/index.php/downloads/download/6-paint-guides/31-bunkers-and-barricades-v1-stl-files]

I needed some barricades and blockhouses for my Primosole Bridge board and I couldn't really find what I wanted so I created my own from scratch in Tinkercad and printed them out. I'm happy with the result, I printed one of each then printed the barricades as a mirror image so I could have plenty but if I need more... just press print. Concrete blockhouses and barricades printed on a FDM complete with 'Mold lines & striations as part of the manufacturing process" without any extra effort! (Well that what I'm telling myself.)

The blockhouses will fit a 60mm base.

P.S. Dan, great idea I will also print some 'risers'; so that the MMG and antitank gun teams mounted on a 60mm base will be able to be see (and be seen) through the firing slit, has to look good for those photos!

Images below:

Commandos! A gift from my brother Dan fresh off the painting table! Dan saw these on Trademe (That's New Zealand speak for ebay[ish]) and snapped them up for me as he knew I wanted to get serious with my 28mm commando force. Not only that, he painted them for me as well! I have a cunning plan on how to base them, should be unique if I can get it right.

I love them and can't wait to get them in the post. only problem is that the commandos I have already are my first painted army, I have improved since then and I'm not sure they will stack up against these so the old ones are up for a touch-up (at least).

I bet you wish you had a brother that would paint minis for you! 

FYI they are Wargames foundry.

 Sometimes when 3D printing you get an under extruded print. That's where not enough plastic comes out and the model isn't fully bonded together or is 'squeezy' to the touch. This happened to me due to a blockage, and thinking that this was a good opportunity to take advantage of an 'easy' to cut up model I thought I would make this into a ruin. Armed with Dremel with mini circular saw for cutting I hacked into this one. An hour later covered in plastic and with plastic in my eye (even though I was wearing protective goggles and mask) I vow never to do that again. That plastic is hard, hard, HARD!

The result is passable, or will be once I glue things back together and fill some places.

Moving forward, however, does anyone have some suggestions of easy to use software to erase parts of the building STL and smooth/close the shell back up. I tried Meshmixer but that was a pain, I don't want to have to spend a day learning how to use it if possible.

Podcast EP22: Campaign book Kickstarter - INCOMING.

Although other podcasts have done (and will do!!) a fantastic job of asking us the hard questions about the new The Battle for Primosole Bridge Campaign book (the Kickstarter is just days away now). Dan and I thought we had better say something ourselves on the subject :-).

Come with us as we discuss the book, the reason why we did it in the first place and a deep dive into the content.

Dan shares his latest completed Italians; X Arditi sahariana patrol vehicles, and a weapons team, Sicilian campaign Durham Light Infantry and some more completed British paratroopers and German Fallschirmjager.

So here's the first squad (plus) of a new army. In this case; men of the Durham Light Infantry in Sicily '1943.

It has to be said though, that they will have a dual purpose as representing New Zealanders in summer dress in the Italian mainland campaign.

The figures are Warlord games plastics; British and Canadian infantry 43-45. But i have kitbashed parts from their 8th army box set, mainly the weapon arms in shirtsleeves. After doing so, the sword bayonets needed to be exchanged for 'pig sticker' bayonets to be correct.

There are also some other parts from various Warlord Games' kits in there...can you spot them?!? Answers on a stamped, self-addressed envelope...;)

Now...where are those British airborne I need to finish...? (there's always British airborne to be finished!!)

Dan's been busy buying, building, painting and more buying. Proving that you can never be bored or run out of things to do when you have miniature wargaming as your hobby! This is Dan's latest hobby update for August '21. Hope this inspires you.

Hairspray chipping - first attempt work in progress. Pretty happy so far, progress update to follow plus a bit of a how-to guide if someone would like it. Let me know if you do want something?

 I'm building a French town square for my French village for 28mm Bolt action. So far I have a blank space with a nice cobbled base courtesy of a texture roller from OTP terrain. Its a good first step I have also 3D printed some tables and chairs and a fountain as a start of the scatter terrain. Looking forward to painting.